WASHINGTON, D.C. – BROOKLYN/MANHATTAN U.S. REP. Dan Goldman on Tuesday criticized President Donald Trump over the administration’s decision to pause a fraud case leveled against billionaire Justin Sun, describing the situation as “flagrant quid pro quo corruption.” Sun is a Chinese crypto kingpin who the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2023 accused of making transactions between his multiple companies to create the false impression of consumer interest in his tokens.
The billionaire in November of last year paid a total of $75 million into World Liberty Financial, a crypto enterprise partially owned by Trump and his family members — an action which reportedly personally enriched the president by an estimated $56 million — as well as promoting the president’s TrumpCoin. Then last month, the SEC and Sun on Feb. 26 jointly asked the judge in Sun’s case to issue a stay, in favor of working towards a “potential resolution,” according to Gizmodo.
In a statement, Goldman wrote, “Justin Sun’s investment amounts to tens of millions of dollars going directly into President Trump’s pockets, and the dismissal of Sun’s case shortly thereafter is the smoking gun that warrants a Department of Justice investigation into pay-to-play corruption at the highest levels of the federal government.”
Goldman, known for prosecuting Trump’s first impeachment in Congress, in December criticized the World Liberty Financial operation, claiming that it “allows foreign actors like Justin Sun to influence SEC investigations by bribing Trump’s crypto company.”
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