Democrats accused U.S. President Donald Trump of creating a channel for selling political influence through cryptocurrencies.
The occasion was a closed dinner for 220 of the largest holders of the meme coin TRUMP, which the president held at his golf club in Virginia. Guests were treated to steak, halibut, and chocolate dessert, with posters on the tables featuring the slogan 'Fight Fight Fight' — a reference to the issuing company of the token.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal stated that the Trump administration is hiding the list of event participants, among whom there could be representatives of foreign states:
'He is selling America. He is jeopardizing national security.'
Legislator Elizabeth Warren called the event 'a backdoor for purchasing political decisions,' suggesting that China or Russia could use tokens to influence the White House.
The administration refused to publish the guest list, emphasizing that the dinner is a personal initiative of Trump, not an official event.
Among the confirmed participants are TRON founder Justin Sun, Magic Eden CEO Jack Lu, and BitMart head Sheldon Xia.
At the same time, Congresswoman Maxine Waters introduced a bill to prohibit government officials from issuing cryptocurrencies, calling TRUMP a 'fraud' and a threat to national security.
Earlier, a similar initiative was presented by Sam Liccardo, calling for restrictions on members of Congress and their families working with the cryptocurrency market.
Skybridge founder Anthony Scaramucci acknowledged the president's contributions to the development of digital asset regulation in an interview with CNBC but criticized the event.
According to NBC, the cost of participation in the dinner ranged from $55,000 to $37.7 million.
