US Senator Cynthia Lummis, representing Wyoming in the United States Senate, urges the U.S. Department of Justice to consider taking legal charges against Binance after the terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel.
On October 26 Lummis, along with Arkansas Representative French Hill wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting DOJ to “reach a charging decision on Binance” and “expeditiously conclude” inquiries of allegedly illegal activities involving Tether.
The two politicians’ statements came after Hamas carried out a coordinated attack against Israel on October 7.
They expressed alarming concern over the possibility of unlawful crypto transactions being used to fund Hamas’ coordinated attack on Israel.
“We urge the Department of Justice to carefully evaluate the extent to which Binance and Tether are providing material support and resources to support terrorism through violations of applicable sanctions laws and the Bank Secrecy Act,” said Lummis and Hill.
Lummis, a supporter of cryptocurrencies in Congress and a Bitcoin enthusiast, and Hill, who chairs the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion, restated the concerns shared by Senator Elizabeth Warren and other legislators, who connect crypto transactions with supporting terrorist actions.
However, unlike Senator Warren, the two Republican lawmakers specifically urged the Justice Department to concentrate its efforts on identifying and taking action against those engaging in illicit activities in the cryptocurrency space, including entities like Binance and Tether.
