Senator Blumenthal Gives Binance, Tether and Trump-Linked Crypto Firms Jan. 4 Records Deadline

US Senator Richard Blumenthal issued letters on Thursday setting a Jan. 4, 2027, deadline for Binance, Tether, and two Trump-linked crypto ventures to turn over requested records ¹. Blumenthal, the ranking Democrat and incoming chair of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, also asked the entities to begin providing documents by Nov. 30 ¹. The final January date falls one day after Democrats assume control of the Senate, at which point Blumenthal warned the committee may pursue alternative measures, including chair-issued subpoenas, if the firms fail to comply voluntarily ¹.

Subpoena Threats and Foreign Ties

The inquiries target compliance with sanctions regulations as well as governance structures within President Donald Trump's digital asset ecosystem ¹. Blumenthal previously launched a May 2025 inquiry reviewing potential conflicts of interest across World Liberty Financial and Fight Fight Fight LLC, the firm behind Trump's TRUMP token ¹. While legal counsel for World Liberty Financial contested Blumenthal's assertions and denied any formal affiliation with Fight Fight Fight LLC, Senate Democrats pushed in June 2026 for hearings into an alleged $500 million transaction in which an Abu Dhabi investment vehicle sought a 49% interest in World Liberty Financial ¹.

Concurrently, Blumenthal reiterated demands for internal records from both Binance and Tether ¹. A February request directed at Binance focused on transactions involving Russian shipping operations and Iranian organizations, which Binance rejected in March, stating no accounts to its knowledge transacted directly with Iranian entities ¹. Blumenthal noted in his Thursday correspondence that Binance had yet to submit the requested files ¹. In his follow-up to Tether, Blumenthal pressed for documentation concerning the use of $USDT by sanctioned counterparties—which he previously detailed when urging probes into Tether over Iran financing—along with details on Tether's engagements with Nxum, an advisory group co-founded by former White House crypto adviser Bo Hines ¹. Tether has disputed claims regarding illicit activity, stating it assisted law enforcement by freezing roughly $550 million in Iran-linked assets during 2026 ¹.