Democrats Criticize Clarity Act, Citing Trump's Crypto Ties

Key facts

• Three U.S. Senate Democrats oppose the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act.
• Senators Chris Murphy, Chris Van Hollen, and Jeff Merkley are leading the opposition.
• They argue the bill is corrupt and should address President Donald Trump's crypto profits.
• The senators believe the bill is worthless if it doesn't sever Trump's crypto entanglements.
• Trump's financial disclosures revealed over $1 billion in crypto profits in 2025.

Three Democratic U.S. Senators—Chris Murphy, Chris Van Hollen, and Jeff Merkley—have publicly opposed the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, arguing that it should not advance without addressing President Donald Trump's personal cryptocurrency dealings. At a press conference on Capitol Hill, the senators contended that the bill, as currently drafted, is 'corrupt' and potentially harmful.

Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, described the Clarity Act as a "corrupt piece of legislation that will do a lot of harm." Senator Murphy stated that the bill is "worthless" if it does not confront "Trump's corruption of the entire industry" and suggested that protecting his crypto entanglements would be "a fundamental corruption if it gives Trump's corruption the protection of law."

The senators' stance intensifies the debate over the bill, which requires significant Democratic support to pass the Senate. A key sticking point remains an ethics provision that would ban senior government officials, including the president, from engaging in the crypto industry. Many Democrats have vowed not to support the bill without such a provision. President Trump's recent financial disclosures, revealing over $1 billion in profits from crypto activities in 2025, have provided opposition Democrats with further arguments against the legislation.