"A bewildering gamut of schemes": Democrats press Trump for information on "crypto con" dinner

A top House Democrat is demanding more information about President Donald Trump’s recent dinner for investors in his crypto meme coin.

Rep. Jaime Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, is calling on the president to release the names of attendees at the May 22 gala, which was billed as “the most exclusive invitation in the world.”

“Publication of this list will also let the American people know who is putting tens of millions of dollars into our President’s pocket so we can start to figure out what — beyond virtually worthless memecoins — they are getting in exchange for all this money,” Raskin wrote in a letter to Trump, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

The event was attended by the top 220 investors in digital currency. The invitees spent an average of more than $1 million on the coin, according to NBC News, with the top holders spending north of $10 million.

“Profiting off the memecoin is just the latest in a bewildering gamut of schemes in which you and your family have profited after your return to office,” Raskin wrote. “Entities affiliated with The Trump Organization control 80% of the entire supply of $TRUMP coins—1 billion coins in total— and stand to reap the lion’s share of any profits from the venture,” he added.

Raskin’s probe is the latest example of congressional Democrats targeting Trump’s blurring of lines between his official role and his private business interests, including his meme coin, a form of online currency that is based on online jokes and holds no actual value.

“Nowhere is Trump’s blatant disregard and disrespect for the rule of law more apparent than in the way he has exploited the office of the presidency to promote shady, fraudulent crypto ventures that hold no real value, and serve no true purpose other than to pad his pockets,” Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif,, the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee, said in a statement last week. “Trump’s crypto con is not just a scam to target investors. It’s also a dangerous backdoor for selling influence over American policies to the highest foreign bidder.” Waters concurrently introduced a bill that would prevent the President, Vice President, or members of Congress from profiting from cryptocurrencies.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has rejected accusations of a conflict of interest, arguing that they are invalid because Trump attended the dinner in his personal time and it was not, officially, “a White House dinner.”