US Senators Call for Investigation Into Alleged WLFI Links to North Korea and Russia

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jack Reed have called on federal officials to investigate the possible sale of World Liberty Financial (WLFI) tokens to individuals allegedly associated with North Korea, Russia, and other sanctioned entities. They argue that the platform’s operations could pose risks to U.S. national interests.

In a letter addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the senators referenced a mid-September 2025 report by Accountable. According to that report, WLFI allegedly sold tokens to users involved in transactions with sanctioned counterparties.

The examples cited include a user known as Shryder.eth, said to be connected to a wallet believed to belong to the Lazarus Group; a user of Iranian crypto exchange NoBitex.ir; and a trader identified as 0x9009, who reportedly used the ruble stablecoin A7A5, linked to the sanctioned exchange Garantex.

The letter states:

Concerns About Potential Conflicts of Interest

The senators also highlighted concerns about WLFI’s financial ties to the president’s family, arguing that the token sale could create a conflict of interest.

According to the letter, DT Marks DEFI LLC, a company reportedly linked to the Trump family, holds 22.5 billion WLFI tokens (valued at roughly $3 billion) and receives 75% of proceeds from the token sale.

The lawmakers asked the Department of Justice and the Treasury to provide answers by December 1, 2025, to four key questions:

• What requirements apply to governance token holders on DeFi platforms?
• What national security risks could arise if token holders include individuals tied to sanctioned entities?
• Are there any ongoing inquiries into the sale of WLFI tokens to such individuals?
• Has any review been conducted into potential conflicts of interest involving the president’s crypto-related business ventures?

This marks the latest request from political opponents of the administration. Senators previously urged an investigation into the pardon of former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, alleging potential improprieties — claims that remain unproven.