"Before Todd Blanche could be confirmed as the second-highest official at the Justice Department, he had to satisfy the concerns of ethics officials. Blanche, President Donald Trump's personal attorney during his New York criminal trial last year, was a cryptocurrency investor with holdings of between $159,000 and $485,000, records show. To prevent possible violations of the federal conflicts of interest statute, Blanche promised to dump his digital assets no later than 90 days after his Senate confirmation in March, according to his government ethics agreement."
"But about a month into the job - before divesting - Blanche issued a memo that ordered an end to investigations into crypto companies, dealers and exchanges launched during President Joe Biden's term. He also eliminated an enforcement team dedicated to looking for crypto-related fraud and money-laundering schemes. And his memo said the Justice Department would assist Trump's crypto working group of experts and Cabinet members"
Todd Blanche held cryptocurrency investments valued between $159,000 and $485,000 and agreed to divest within 90 days of Senate confirmation to avoid federal conflicts of interest. About a month into his tenure, before divesting, Blanche issued a memo halting investigations into crypto companies, dealers and exchanges that were opened during President Biden's term and disbanded an enforcement team focused on crypto fraud and money laundering. Blanche's memo also pledged Justice Department assistance to a Trump crypto working group that later issued recommendations to promote U.S. leadership in digital currencies. Legal experts contend these actions violated conflict-of-interest rules and his ethics agreement.
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