Here’s why the CLARITY Act’s ethics deal may be so hard to reach

Both parties say they want US crypto market structure legislation, but a dispute over ethics rules and who enforces them is becoming the bill’s biggest obstacle. The long-awaited US Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY) has hit another snag. This time, it’s not software developers or the turf war between federal regulators at stake, but the thornier question of ethics — ironic, given many politicians’ demonstrable disdain for them.

After months of negotiations and what Coinbase’s chief executive Brian Armstrong called “thousands of hours of work on both sides,” disagreement over a code of conduct could make or break CLARITY once and for all. Pretty much everyone agrees the United States needs clearer rules around digital assets. But negotiators are divided over whether the bill’s ethics provisions are strong enough, and, more importantly, who should enforce them.

Democrats worry the current proposal relies too heavily on the Department of Justice, arguing state attorneys general should be able to step in if the DOJ fails to enforce the law. In a joint statement Wednesday, seven Democratic senators said the Republican proposal “falls short.” For their part, Republicans are pushing to keep enforcement of the ethics provisions with the DOJ, arguing that federal rules should be enforced through a single national framework.

Attorney and former Republican Senate candidate John Deaton said Wednesday: Can lawmakers find a middle path before the bill reaches the Senate floor, or has the ethics debate become CLARITY’s biggest obstacle yet? The latest Senate draft made public Wednesday would prohibit the president, vice president, members of Congress and other senior federal officials and their spouses from issuing or sponsoring digital assets while in office. Democrats oppose current CLARITY text.

Source: Senator Ruben Gallego That means future presidential meme coins would be off the table, at least temporarily, with no Trump 2.0 or Melania 2.0-style token launches while the restrictions are in play.

Related: CLARITY Act could help CFTC deal with prediction markets: Lawyer The proposal would also prevent crypto platforms from listing assets issued or sponsored by covered officials. Restrictions would expire in 2029, after President Donald Trump’s current term ends, though covered officials would still be permitted to own cryptocurrencies. Democrats have made it clear the text needs additional work before gaining their support, but getting CLARITY over the line isn’t doomed; they’ve also signaled a willingness to see the bill through to the end.

“We have been working in good faith with our Republican colleagues for the past year and will continue doing so to get this over the finish line,” the senators said. Senator Angela Alsobrooks said negotiators were “fairly close” to reaching an agreement during a Semafor event on Wednesday, despite warning the ethics provisions remained a dealbreaker. The Maryland Democrat said: Her main concern is not only the substance of the rules, but who would enforce them.

“It’s an absolute that we cannot completely rely on the DOJ, given what we’ve seen of their inability and their unwillingness to enforce the law,” Alsobrooks said. The debate has been fueled by Trump’s rapidly expanding crypto business interests spanning meme coins, World Liberty Financial and other digital asset holdings. Related: Trump claims he can ‘future proof’ crypto regulation with CLARITY Act The President’s crypto ventures have reportedly generated $1.

4 billion on paper, prompting Democrats to argue stronger safeguards are needed to address potential conflicts of interest. Senator Elizabeth Warren has focused on whether the restrictions go far enough, with the Massachusetts Democrat saying that the latest draft “does nothing to stop President Trump from making his next $1.4 billion from crypto.”

Former SEC official Amanda Fischer also argued the draft would still allow Trump to benefit from his existing projects, with limited restrictions on future crypto income streams. Republicans reject the idea that the ethics provisions are weak. Senator Bernie Moreno described the draft as containing “the most powerful ethics language in US history,” pushing back against Democratic claims that the provisions are insufficient.

The latest CLARITY Act text. Source: US Congress. Patrick Witt, a former White House and Senate counsel, said Democratic opposition appeared to rest on one of two positions: either that ethics rules without state attorneys general are “meaningless,” or that they fail to penalize President Trump for past crypto activity.

Others argue that, even if the legislation is imperfect, passing it would be preferable to preserving the status quo. Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Chris Dixon said the US has a similar opportunity to the early internet era, when lawmakers established rules that allowed innovation to flourish rather than forcing new technology into outdated regulatory frameworks. While acknowle