US lawmakers allege CCP connection in calling for SEC, DoJ investigation of Prometheum

by Jeremy

Six members of the US congress have known as on the U.S. Securities and Alternate Fee (SEC) and Division of Justice to research Prometheum, claiming the agency has ties to the Chinese language Communist Social gathering. 

In a July 10 letter, Alabama Senator Thomas Tuberville and 5 members of the Home of Representatives alleged Prometheum co-CEO Aaron Kaplan could have supplied false testimony at a June 13 listening to on regulatory readability within the crypto house. The U.S. lawmakers claimed Prometheum was related to traders with “ties to the Chinese language Neighborhood Social gathering”: Shanghai Wanxiang Blockchain and HashKey Digital Asset Group.

In keeping with Tuberville and the Representatives, Kaplan’s testimony earlier than Congress prompt Prometheum had been developed independently of Wanxiang and HashKey, allegedly contradicting data the agency had supplied in SEC filings. The lawmakers known as on SEC chair Gary Gensler and Legal professional Basic Merrick Garland to look into the matter.

Associated: Blockchain Assoc. requests data on Prometheum over ‘suspicious’ approval

Many lawmakers throughout the Republican occasion — which incorporates the six members who signed onto the July 10 letter — have usually invoked issues about affiliations with China-based entities or the nation’s authorities in contemplating regulation or legal guidelines on digital belongings. Former Senator Pat Toomey and Minnesota Consultant Tom Emmer each issued warnings on utilizing China’s digital yuan on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Cointelegraph reached out to Aaron Kaplan for remark, however didn’t obtain a response on the time of publication. Nonetheless, a June 23 Wall Road Journal op-ed by Aaron and co-CEO Benjamin Kaplan claimed Tuberville’s issues on Prometheum’s alleged ties to China had been “with out advantage” and relied on “out-of-date data”.

“We formally terminated all co-development work and strategic relationships with Wanxiang and its associates on Oct. 21, 2021,” mentioned the Kaplans. “Prometheum has severed all mental property and expertise ties to Wanxiang, giving it and its associates no entry to any data that might expose the U.S. or its residents to threat.”

The Prometheum co-CEO mentioned the agency left the U.S.-based crypto advocacy group Chamber of Digital Commerce in early 2023. 

Journal: Crypto regulation: Does SEC Chair Gary Gensler have the ultimate say?