- Public Citizen has filed an updated complaint with the FEC
- The claim is that Coinbase is funding U.S. election campaigns
- There is debate over whether Coinbase is a federal contractor
- Coinbase denies the claims, saying the company is not funded by US Congress
Molly White, famous for its platforms “Web3 is Going Just Great,” и “Follow the Crypto,” and the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen have filed an updated complaint with the FEC regarding Coinbase’s violation of U.S. campaign finance laws.
What Are the Details of the Complaint Against Coinbase?
The complaint filed on August 1 accuses Coinbase of violating campaign finance laws by donating $25 million to the pro-crypto Fairshake Super PAC in May while negotiating a contract with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Coinbase denied these claims, with Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal stating that Coinbase is not a federal contractor because it is not paid from funds appropriated by Congress to the Marshals Service.
The updated complaint, filed on August 5, challenges this defense and asserts that the funds come from the Asset Forfeiture Fund, which is appropriated by Congress, making Coinbase a federal contractor.
Rick Claypool, Research Director at Public Citizen, criticized Coinbase for “aggressively” exploiting the law established in the 2010 Citizens United case.
“The crypto corporation’s eye-popping contributions — made in apparent violation of longstanding pay-to-play prohibitions — demonstrate how lax enforcement emboldens corporate lawbreaking. The FEC must step up.”
However, Paul Grewal insists that this has nothing to do with cryptocurrencies from the collapsed FTX exchange and the Silk Road and that Coinbase does not receive funds from Congress nor attempts to influence elections. Furthermore, Coinbase donated $500,000 each to Democratic and Republican super PACs for the 2024 elections.
“It’s also worth noting that Coinbase has donated to Democratic and Republican super PACs equally, with $500K to House and Senate funds for each party, respectively, for 2024.”
Conclusions
Public Citizen calls for stricter FEC enforcement to prevent corporate law violations, while Molly White continues to highlight issues in the cryptocurrency industry and monitor its political spending.
We will closely follow updates, the arguments from both sides, and the dispute resolution.
