Senator Probes Tether Over $6.3M Deal with Company Co-founded by Former Trump Crypto Adviser

Senator Richard Blumenthal requested records from Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino regarding a $6.3 million deal between Tether and Nxum, a marketing company co-founded by former White House crypto adviser Bo Hines. Blumenthal stated the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations demands records related to contracts, payments, communications, and lobbying. Blumenthal alleged that Hines, who served as executive director as President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets from January to August 2025, worked with Nxum to coordinate lobbying efforts against pending stablecoin legislation, such as the GENIUS Act, and that Tether directly coordinated these efforts, with Ardoino reportedly demanding Nxum 'obliterate' the legislation’s opponents.