Trump’s CFTC Nominee Brian Quintenz Drops Crypto Wisdom to Tyler Winklevoss Amid Confirmation Gridlock

Washington's political machinery grinds to a halt—leaving crypto's regulatory future hanging in the balance.

Brian Quintenz, former CFTC commissioner and Trump’s pick to lead the agency, isn’t sitting idle. He’s sharing critical insights with Gemini co-founder Tyler Winklevoss as his confirmation stalls in Senate limbo.

Backchannel Moves

While lawmakers drag their feet, Quintenz bypasses bureaucratic inertia—directly engaging with one of crypto’s most influential figures. No vague promises, no political fluff—just straight talk on regulation, innovation, and market integrity.

Policy in the Shadows

Washington’s delay might just be crypto’s gain. Behind-the-scenes dialogue fuels sharper strategy, smarter advocacy. Who needs a confirmed chair when industry leaders and insiders are already aligning on key issues?

Finance’s old guard watches, sweaty-palmed—another reminder that real change often happens off the books.

Brian Quintenz Takes to X Over ‘Paused’ CFTC Nomination

According to a September 10 X post on Quintenz’s official account, the a16z crypto policy head claims that Winklevoss asked Trump to have Quintenz’s nomination “paused” following their message exchange.

I’ve never been inclined to release private messages. But in light of my support for the President and belief that he might have been misled, I’ve posted here the messages that include the questions Tyler Winklevoss asked me pertaining to their prior litigation with the CFTC.

I… pic.twitter.com/MN75M1XUpT

The messages from late July purportedly detail Winklevoss’s concerns over what he calls “7 years of lawfare trophy hunting” and largely focus on Gemini’s June 2025 complaint with the CFTC regarding investigative misconduct.

“I believe these texts make it clear what they were after from me, and what I refused to promise,” Quintenz said. “It’s my understanding that after this exchange they contacted the President and asked that my confirmation be paused for reasons other than what is reflected in these texts.”

The duo eventually agreed to chat at a later date, though it’s unclear whether that conversation ever happened.

“I believe transparency and integrity are paramount,” he added. “Protecting the President and his agenda are more important than any job.”

Gemini Pays Up in CFTC Case

The CFTC formally filed a complaint against Gemini in 2022 for “making false or misleading statements of material facts or omitting to state material facts to the CFTC” over the self-certification of a Bitcoin futures product.

As a result, the digital asset platform was ordered to pay a civil monetary penalty of $5 million.

“Making false or misleading statements to the CFTC in connection with a derivatives product certification undermines the CFTC’s efforts to ensure all futures products trading on CFTC-regulated markets comply with the CEA and CFTC regulations and, among other things, are not readily susceptible to manipulation,” former Director of Enforcement Ian McGinley said in a statement at the time.

However, it is still unclear whether Quintenz’s confirmation process will proceed.