Lawmakers demand Treasury probe into Trump’s crypto, Musk’s PAC and GOP fundraising scams

House of Democrats are urging the U.S. Treasury to investigate Donald Trump’s crypto dealings, Elon Musk’s political actions committee (PAC), and the Republican fundraising platforms over possible fraud, bribery, and foreign influence. 

In a letter sent to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, top Democrats from three powerful House committees requested all suspicious activity reports (SARs) related to Trump’s cryptocurrency ventures, Elon Musk’s PAC, and the GOP’s WinRed fundraising platform. 

Lawmakers seek review of Trump coin’s foreign funding and token control

President Donald Trump, through World Liberty Financial (WLFI), launched the $TRUMP meme coin earlier this year. He promoted it on his social media accounts and at campaign events, which led to a surge in the coin’s price and attracted thousands of investors. 

However, lawmakers are growing more concerned because over 80% of the token’s total supply exists in digital wallets that Trump and his allies control. This means they can manipulate the price and supply to benefit themselves at the expense of ordinary investments that lack inside information or control. 

Lawmakers further noted that the earliest investors in the $TRUMP meme coin made millions of dollars selling their tokens at peak prices before the market crashed, leaving regular investors who bought later to suffer huge losses. 

The letter also highlights USD1, a proposed new stablecoin that plans to raise $2 billion through a Binance deal, a global cryptocurrency exchange, and MGX Capital (controls 90% of the token’s ownership). 

This proposal raises constitutional concerns because heavy foreign ownership could violate the Emoluments Clause of the American Constitution, which forbids U.S. government officials from accepting gifts or financial benefits from foreign government entities in ways that could influence elections or policy decisions. 

In short, USD1 could potentially open doors for foreign governments or investors to hold undue influence on the U.S. political and financial systems.

To that end, lawmakers want the Treasury to review suspicious activity reports connected to World Liberty Financial and its digital wallets to trace the source and movement of funds, verify the true owners behind these wallets, and ensure that the entire operation complies fully with U.S laws to prevent money laundering, foreign interference, and other financial crimes. 

Democrats raise red flags over Musk’s PAC spending and GOP’s WinRed platform

Elon Musk’s America PAC spent over $250 million on political campaign advertisements, voter giveaways, and messaging that strongly supports Republican candidates across multiple races, forcing Democratic lawmakers to send a formal letter demanding a thorough investigation into it. 

Lawmakers suggest that this large-scale spending could have influenced the elections in ways that don’t comply with existing campaign finance laws and question whether the America PAC coordinated its spending and messaging directly with GOP candidates’ campaigns or if it hid the identities of its donors. 

The letter cited public examples that show that Musk’s America PAC incentivized voters with prizes and held aggressive outreach through social media, which lawmakers warn crossed legal lines by “paying” or bribing voters to support specific candidates.

In addition to concerns about Musk’s PAC, lawmakers stress that the Treasury must investigate WinRed, the dominant online fundraising platform the Republican Party uses to collect millions of dollars in donations, to confirm whether it verified the identity of donors, screened out legal or foreign contributions, and ensured all funds processed comply with U.S campaign finance laws.

The Democrats were specific about the possibility of improper connections between the activities of Musk’s America PAC and public endorsements or promotional events involving Musk’s companies like Tesla. 

Lawmakers requested that Treasurey’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) review the SARs related to Elon Musk’s America PAC, the GOP’s WinRed platform, and other associated entities to support their review, and trace true suspicious financial flaws, uncover any hidden or unlawful donations, and ensure full compliance with the law. 

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