US Senator Richard Blumenthal has set Jan. 4, 2027, as the deadline for Binance, Tether, World Liberty Financial and Fight Fight Fight LLC to voluntarily provide records sought in Senate investigations, according to Cointelegraph’s report published on Nov. 9, 2026, at 17:00:17 UTC+8.
The follow-up letters, sent the preceding Thursday, asked the companies to begin producing records by Nov. 30. Blumenthal warned that the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations would consider “alternative measures to obtain compliance” if they missed the January deadline.
Voluntary requests, with possible compulsory action
Blumenthal, described in the report as the panel’s ranking Democrat and incoming chair, set the final deadline one day after Democrats were due to take control of the Senate. The subcommittee’s current rules allow its chair to issue subpoenas for documents and records. The letters seek voluntary compliance; the report does not say subpoenas had been issued.
Cointelegraph said Binance, Tether, World Liberty Financial and Fight Fight Fight LLC had not responded to its requests for comment before publication.
Trump-linked ventures face conflict-of-interest questions
Blumenthal opened an inquiry in May 2025 into potential conflicts of interest involving President Donald Trump’s crypto ventures. He requested records from World Liberty Financial and Fight Fight Fight LLC—the company behind Trump’s TRUMP memecoin—covering ownership, foreign investments and safeguards against conflicts of interest.
World Liberty Financial’s lawyers disputed his claims and said the company had no affiliation with Fight Fight Fight LLC.
In June 2026, Blumenthal and four other Senate Democrats called for hearings into a reported $500 million deal under which an Abu Dhabi investment firm would buy a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial.
Binance and Tether inquiries focus on sanctions-related activity
In February 2026, Blumenthal asked Binance for records concerning transactions linked to Iranian entities and Russia’s shadow fleet. Binance disputed the underlying reports in its March response, calling them false and saying that, to its knowledge, no Binance account had transacted directly with an Iran-based entity.
In his follow-up letter, Blumenthal said Binance had still not provided any of the requested records.
The letter to Tether renewed requests concerning sanctioned entities’ use of USDT and Tether’s dealings with Nxum, a consulting firm co-founded by former White House crypto adviser Bo Hines.
In September 2026, Blumenthal released a report by the subcommittee’s Democratic staff alleging that USDT had become a key part of Iran’s shadow banking network. Tether disputed claims that USDT offered a haven for sanctioned actors, saying it had helped authorities freeze nearly $550 million in Iran-linked tokens during 2026.
Original source: Cointelegraph, published Nov. 9, 2026, at 17:00:17 UTC+8.