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Warren, Lummis Clash Over Ethics Provision in CLARITY Act
The CLARITY Act's July 22 draft includes an ethics provision Warren calls a loophole. Lummis says critics are moving goalposts. Passage before August recess is at risk as the Senate calendar shrinks.
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The CLARITY Act hit a new snag this week. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cynthia Lummis traded public accusations over an ethics clause in the bill's latest draft, a fight that complicates efforts to pass the legislation before August recess.
The July 22 revised draft includes a provision that sets ethics rules for federal officials holding digital assets. Warren said the language is full of loopholes. It would let senior officials profit from crypto while enforcement sits with an executive branch that could, in her view, look the other way.
Lummis pushed back hard. She called the criticism misleading and said the bill already incorporates months of Democratic feedback. The goal, she said, is to stop moving the goalposts and hold a vote.
A separate bipartisan proposal would let state attorneys general sue the Justice Department if it fails to enforce ethics rules against federal officials. The White House is still silent on that idea. Its position could determine whether leadership can lock down the votes before recess.