Former SEC Division of Enforcement Assistant Director Jennifer Lee mentioned on Could 2 that Donald Trump’s attainable reelection possible received’t change the SEC’s stance on crypto.
Lee informed CNBC the SEC “vigorously pursued crypto instances” throughout Trump’s first presidential time period and that it introduced “daylight and regulation” to the burgeoning trade.
She predicted that the SEC would proceed to “outline its house and attain over crypto” if Trump served a second presidential time period.
The SEC is extra constant about whether or not particular cryptos fall throughout the company’s scope, however the extent of its jurisdiction over the trade stays an open query, Lee mentioned.
Lee didn’t touch upon the SEC’s precise actions throughout Trump’s first time period. Nevertheless, then-SEC chair Jay Clayton critically introduced some crypto gross sales below the SEC’s purview circa 2018, together with throughout a Senate listening to the place he mentioned all ICOs he had seen had been securities.
Clayton additionally believed that some cryptos, together with Bitcoin, weren’t securities on the time.
Others anticipate pro-crypto insurance policies
One other ex-SEC member, Former Chief of the SEC Workplace of Web Enforcement John Reed Stark, has argued that the SEC below Trump is probably not harsh on crypto.
Stark mentioned in September {that a} Republican-appointed SEC chair would possible “decelerate significantly” the SEC’s crypto enforcement efforts. He additionally prompt that Trump might change his anti-crypto perspective to cater to single-issue crypto voters.
Stark famous that Trump has important crypto holdings, an assertion backed by monetary filings associated to Trump’s NFT ventures.
Others have prompt a equally gentle contact. In January, Home Majority Whip Tom Emmer mentioned a second Trump administration could possibly be “extra pleasant” to crypto.
In March, Trump himself prompt a measured method to crypto regulation.
No matter coverage change, a change in presidential administration might affect SEC management. SEC chairs typically resign throughout administration adjustments. As such, present SEC chair Gary Gensler, whose time period lasts till June 2026, might resign within the occasion of a Trump victory.
The possible final result of the US presidential election is unknown. FiveThirtyEight predicts that Trump and Biden have equal odds of profitable, with Trump at 41.7% and Biden at 40.7%.