Trump’s CFTC Nominee Brian Quintenz Releases Texts, Accusing Winklevoss Twins of Seeking Undue Influence
Brian Quintenz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), publicly released text messages that he says show the billionaire crypto entrepreneurs Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss were pressuring him to intervene in a past regulatory case involving their company, Gemini.
A $5 Million Settlement and Allegations of “Lawfare”
The conflict stems from a $5 million settlement that Gemini reached with the CFTC in the final days of the Biden administration. The settlement resolved allegations that the crypto exchange had made misleading statements to the agency.
The Winklevoss twins have been fiercely critical of the CFTC’s handling of the case, which they have described as “7 years of lawfare trophy hunting.” In the text messages released by Quintenz, Tyler Winklevoss is seen asking how the nominee plans to “align with President Trump and the Administration’s mandate to end the lawfare and make amends for it.”
Winklevoss went on to suggest that “cultural reform” at the CFTC, which should include “rectifying what happened to us,” should be Quintenz’s “highest priority.”
A Refusal to Make Promises
The text exchange shows that Quintenz refused to make any specific commitments to the Winklevosses. Instead, he promised a “fair and reasonable review of the matter and the division and individuals involved to determine if they acted inappropriately.”
“I believe these texts make it clear what they were after from me, and what I refused to promise,” Quintenz wrote in a social media post accompanying the screenshots.
According to Quintenz, after this exchange, the Winklevosses contacted President Trump and asked him to pause the confirmation. The White House subsequently requested that the Senate Agriculture Committee delay its vote on the nomination.
A Confirmation in Limbo
Quintenz’s nomination was initially expected to sail through the confirmation process, as he is a well-respected former CFTC commissioner with broad support in both the traditional finance and crypto industries.
However, the intervention from the Winklevosses, who are high-profile supporters of President Trump, has put the nomination in a precarious position.
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