Crypto-critical US Senator Elizabeth Warren has led six Senate Democrats in urging the Department of Justice to reverse its decision to terminate its crypto investigations and prosecutions division.

In an April 10 letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the Senators said the decision to disband the department’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team was a “grave mistake” that would support “sanctions evasion, drug trafficking, scams, and child sexual exploitation.”

Senators Richard Durbin, Mazie Hirono, Sheldon Whitehouse, Christopher Coons and Richard Blumenthal signed the letter in addition to Warren.

On April 7, Blanche shuttered the DOJ’s crypto enforcement team, saying in a memo that “The Department of Justice is not a digital assets regulator.”

The senators claim that the decision gave a “free pass to cryptocurrency money launderers” and claimed that crypto mixing services — used to obfuscate blockchain transactions — are “go-to tools for cybercriminals.” 

“It makes no sense for DOJ to announce a hands-off approach to tools that are being used to support such terrible crimes,” the letter said.

The senators also questioned why the Justice Department  had decided not to prosecute a “host of crimes involving digital assets, including violations of the Bank Secrecy Act.”

They claimed that this creates a “systemic vulnerability in the digital assets sector,” which “drug traffickers, terrorists, fraudsters, and adversaries” will exploit on a large scale. 

The lawmakers requested a staff-level briefing no later than May 1, providing “detailed information on the rationale behind these decisions.” 

Targeting Trump family crypto endeavors 

The letter also took a swipe at the Trump family’s crypto projects, suggesting potential conflicts of interest.

Related: SafeMoon boss cites DOJ’s nixed crypto unit in latest bid to toss suit

A press release accompanying the letter stated that the senators are raising concerns about the “potential connections” between the DOJ’s actions and the crypto ventures of President Donald Trump and his family.

The Trumps have an interest in and have backed the crypto platform World Liberty Financial along with its token. The platform is also planning to launch a stablecoin while President Trump’s sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., are working to launch a crypto-mining company called American Bitcoin.

“Your decisions give rise to concerns that President Trump’s interest in selling his cryptocurrency may be the reason for easing law enforcement scrutiny,” the Democrats stated.  

In a memo announcing the crypto enforcement team’s disbandment, Blanche accused the Biden administration of using the Justice Department to “pursue a reckless strategy of regulation by prosecution.”

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Learn MoreDemocrats slam DOJ’s ‘grave mistake’ in disbanding crypto crime unit

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US Securities and Exchange Commission staff have given guidance on how federal securities laws could apply to crypto, saying companies issuing or dealing with tokens that could be securities should give better details about their business.

The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance said in a staff statement on April 10 that it was giving its views “to provide greater clarity on the application of the federal securities laws to crypto assets.” 

The Division said its statement was made of observations of disclosures given in existing disclosure requirements and “addresses our views about certain specific disclosure questions that market participants have presented to the staff.”

The guidance, which the Division noted had “no legal force or effect,” said crypto companies who are giving disclosures about their business have typically shared a host of information about their operations, such as what the company specifically does, how any issued tokens work and how the business generates — or intends to generate — revenue.

Companies have also disclosed whether they plan to remain engaged in a crypto network or app after they launch it and, if not, whether any other entities will take over.

Crypto firms should also explain their technology, such as if their product is a proof-of-work or proof-of-stake blockchain, its block size, transaction speed, reward mechanisms, the measures to ensure network security and whether the protocol is open-source or not.

The SEC staff also noted that registration or qualification is not required in connection with crypto offerings that aren’t securities and aren’t part of an investment contract. However, the statement didn’t provide clarity on what digital assets could be securities.

Commercial litigator Joe Carlasare told Cointelegraph the statement was “a welcome and refreshing step toward clearer regulatory guidance.”

“Adhering to the guidelines will help entities not only position themselves more favorably with regulators but also demonstrate a commitment to transparency and credibility,” he said.

Crypto firms should share all risks

The SEC staff statement said that issuers usually clearly disclose risks related to price volatility, network and cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and custody risks, in addition to standard business, operational, legal and regulatory risks.

A “materially complete description” of a security is also typically required from an issuer, which includes the mechanism behind paying dividends, distributions, profit-sharing and voting rights, including how those rights are enforced.

Related: No crypto project has registered with the SEC and ‘lived to tell the tale’ — House committee hearing

It added a company should share if a protocol’s code can be modified, and if so, who can make such changes and whether the smart contracts involved have been subjected to a third-party security audit.

Other disclosures the statement mentioned are whether the token’s supply is fixed and how it was or will be issued along with identifying executives and “significant employees.”

The Division said its guidance intended to build on the SEC’s Crypto Task Force, which is planning to host a series of roundtables with the crypto industry to discuss how it should police crypto trading, custody, tokenization and decentralized finance.

Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered

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On April 8, Bitcoin’s net unrealized loss (NUP) ratio spiked to 0.0578, the highest level since November 2023. Meanwhile, the net unrealized profit/loss ratio dropped to 0.4253 on the same day, its lowest point since September 2024. This followed Bitcoin’s drop to $76,000 amid a sharp and aggressive retracement from the mid-$80,000 range it traded […]

The post Unrealized losses hit highest level since October 2023 as Bitcoin dropped to $76k appeared first on CryptoSlate.

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Learn MoreUnrealized losses hit highest level since October 2023 as Bitcoin dropped to $76k

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) launched the Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance on April 10, forming a coalition of activists, humanitarian organizations, and pro-democracy movements leveraging Bitcoin (BTC) to support civil liberties and deliver aid in financially repressive environments. The initiative brings together frontline groups operating in jurisdictions where financial systems are routinely weaponized to block dissent, […]

The post Human Rights Foundation launches Bitcoin Alliance to aid global civil liberties appeared first on CryptoSlate.

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In a letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday, the six lawmakers urged him to reconsider his recent decision to disband the DOJ’s crypto enforcement squad. …

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The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance released new staff views on April 10 outlining how federal securities laws apply to the registration and offering of crypto-related securities. The statement covers a range of topics, including how companies should present information about their business operations, token design, governance, technical specifications, and financial […]

The post SEC issues new guidance for crypto asset registration and reporting appeared first on CryptoSlate.

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US President Donald Trump on April 10 signed a joint Congressional resolution overturning a Biden-era rule that requires decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols to report to the country’s tax authority, the Internal Revenue Service.

The rule would have required DeFi platforms, such as decentralized exchanges, to file their gross proceeds from crypto sales and include information on those involved in the transactions.

Trump was widely expected to sign the bill, as White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks said in March that the president would support killing the measure.

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

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Learn MoreTrump signs resolution killing IRS DeFi broker rule