Stephanopoulos Grills DOJ's Blanche Over WSJ Report on Trump-Linked Crypto Firm's $500M Deal With UAE Adviser

ABC's George Stephanopoulos confronted Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche this Sunday over a detailed Wall Street Journal investigation. The report alleges that a cryptocurrency venture founded by former President Donald Trump, World Liberty Financial, secured a $500 million investment from Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan—the United Arab Emirates' national security adviser—shortly before Trump's 2025 inauguration.

The anchor read key portions of the article to Blanche, highlighting that the deal involved the sheikh acquiring a 49% stake in the company, which is run by Eric Trump and lists the former president as its founder emeritus. One section described the transaction as "an unprecedented moment in American politics: a senior foreign government official taking a major ownership stake in an incoming U.S. president's company."

Blanche dismissed the line of questioning, deflecting criticism toward the Biden administration. "I find it rich when these outlets cry 'unprecedented,'" Blanche retorted. "The Biden family's overseas business dealings were conducted in real-time during his presidency. President Trump has been fully transparent. His family's business travels aren't shrouded in secrecy—we don't learn about them years later from a forgotten laptop." The remark was a clear reference to the Hunter Biden laptop controversy from the 2020 election cycle.

When pressed, Blanche argued the transaction was inconsequential because Trump "does not run the company's day-to-day operations" and does not profit from it. Stephanopoulos countered, citing legal experts in the WSJ piece who suggested the deal could violate the Constitution's Foreign Emoluments Clause and quoting former Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb, who stated he would have advised against such arrangements for their potential to "taint American foreign policy."

Blanche dismissed Cobb's critique as predictably partisan. He pointed to Trump's recent engagement with reporters aboard Air Force One as evidence of his openness. "The president is ethical and accessible," Blanche asserted. "He communicates directly with the press more than any of his predecessors. If you have questions, ask him."

The exchange underscores lingering ethical debates surrounding private financial dealings of political families and highlights the challenges of applying conflict-of-interest norms in an era of complex global business networks. Legal scholars note that while past presidents have placed assets in blind trusts, the structure of this investment—involving a high-ranking foreign official and a company bearing the president's name—presents novel questions.

Reader Reactions:

"Finally, someone is pressing on this. A half-billion dollar deal with a foreign security chief right before taking office? This is exactly what the Emoluments Clause was designed to prevent. The deflection to Biden is a tired tactic." — Maya Chen, Political Science Professor

"The media's double standard is glaring. Where was this outrage for four years? The WSJ piece reads like an opposition dossier, and Blanche rightly called out the hypocrisy. Business dealings happen; transparency is what matters." — David Fletcher, Political Commentator

"Are you kidding me? A 'spy sheikh' buys into the President's company and his DOJ defender just shrugs and says 'What about Hunter?' This isn't governance; it's a fire sale on public trust. It's blatant and disgusting." — Rebecca Ortiz, Ethics in Government Advocate

"The structural issue here is bigger than one party. We need clearer laws. Whether it's this deal or others, the current system allows for perceptions of undue influence that undermine faith in the presidency itself." — Marcus Wright, Former Federal Election Commission Counsel

Watch the full interview via ABC.