US lawmakers questioned the Deputy Attorney General about potential conflicts of interest in adjusting enforcement policies while he was holding cryptocurrency.

PANews reported on January 29 that, according to an inquiry letter disclosed by the U.S. Congress, several members of Congress wrote to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, raising serious questions about his decision to disband the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) and comprehensively reduce cryptocurrency enforcement efforts while holding a large amount of cryptocurrency. The letter states that this decision may violate Section 208(a) of Title 18 of the United States Code regarding conflicts of interest.

The letter states that Branch disclosed in January 2025 that he held between $158,000 and $470,000 worth of cryptocurrency (primarily Bitcoin and Ethereum), and in April of the same year, he issued a memorandum scaling back the Department of Justice's cryptocurrency enforcement actions. His assets were not fully disposed of until late May or early June. The senator demands that he explain why he did not recuse himself from the decision-making process and provide a detailed explanation of the specific basis for the Department of Justice's previous claim that the matter had been "appropriately flagged, processed, and approved." The letter requests that the Deputy Attorney General provide relevant communications records, ethics review documents, and responses to seven specific questions by February 11, 2026. The senator emphasizes that enforcing the law against crimes involving cryptocurrency is crucial, and this inquiry fulfills Congress's oversight responsibility for the Department of Justice's personnel and policy decisions.