Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today issued the following statement after the Senate voted to pass the GENIUS Act without votes on his amendments to end crypto-related conflicts of interest by President Trump and other elected officials:
“Passing the GENIUS Act without strong anti-corruption measures stamps a Congressional seal of approval on President Trump selling access to the government for personal profit. Trump’s ‘Government for Sale’ enterprise is the Mount Everest of corruption—the conflicts of interest and ethics violations are clear as day.
“Republicans rammed through this fatally flawed legislation without considering any amendments on the Senate floor—despite promises of an open amendment process and debate before the American people. It is profoundly corrupt, and I will keep fighting to ban Trump-style crypto corruption to prevent the sale of government policy by elected federal officials in Congress and the White House.”
Senate Republicans repeatedly blocked Merkley’s efforts to hold votes on anti-corruption measures that would have ensured President Trump and other elected officials cannot profit from shady crypto practices.
Merkley leads the End Crypto Corruption Act—cosponsored by 24 Senators, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)—to crack down on cryptocurrency-related corruption by elected officials at the highest levels of the federal government.
Previously, Merkley and Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter to Office of Government Ethics Acting Director Jamieson Greer to raise significant concerns about a billion-dollar deal between a Trump-backed crypto company and a foreign crypto firm. Merkley and Warren sent two follow-up letters requesting further information on this shady deal and how it appears to enrich President Trump, his family, and members of his administration.
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