Indivisible, Demand Progress, Revolving Door Project send letter to all Democratic Senate offices, citing Gillibrand's family crypto connections as CLARITY Act ethics talks continue.
Two progressive groups, Indivisible and Demand Progress, joined by the Revolving Door Project, sent a joint letter to every Democratic Senate office Tuesday night. The letter targeted Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's family connections to the crypto industry and her central role in negotiating the CLARITY Act's ethics provisions.
The groups argued that Democrats lose credibility when they attack Donald Trump's crypto profits while one of their own lead negotiators has family ties to the same sector. Gillibrand has publicly said public officials and their spouses should avoid digital asset transactions. The letter used her own words against her, framing a credibility gap that Republicans could exploit.
The CLARITY Act needs 60 votes in the Senate. Support from Senators Ruben Gallego and Angela Alsobrooks in the Senate Banking Committee is not enough. Several more Democratic votes are required, and those votes depend on how the ethics provisions take shape.
Bipartisan talks are moving on separate tracks. Senators Bernie Moreno and Cynthia Lummis are working the White House angle. Senator Thom Tillis is running a parallel negotiation. No draft has been finalized. The talks are described as progressing. That description covers a lot of ground. The core dispute – how ethics rules apply to public officials and their families – has not been resolved.
Gillibrand brokered the ethics compromise that got 18 Senate Democrats to back the GENIUS Act last year after months of internal friction. The CLARITY Act looks like a replay of that dynamic. The Senate wants it done before the August recess. That deadline puts pressure on everyone. The final ethics language has not been disclosed publicly.
Fairshake, the crypto industry super PAC, is sitting on roughly $125 million. With the 2026 midterms approaching, that money matters to both parties. It is probably why neither side wants to be seen as killing crypto legislation outright. It is also why progressive groups are pushing hard now, before any final deal gets cut.
The Revolving Door Project has a track record of tracking conflicts of interest. Their letter to Senate offices is a warning: any softening of ethics standards will be noticed, documented, and used.
The CLARITY Act requires 60 votes in the Senate. The specific ethics language has not been disclosed. The August recess deadline is real pressure. If the bill does not move before then, it gets pushed into a more complicated fall calendar.
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