Senator Warren’s Hilarious Rant on DOJ’s Crypto Crime Unit Closure!

On the fateful day of April 10, a letter, as heavy as a leaden weight, was dispatched to the Department of Justice (DOJ) by a cadre of lawmakers, who, with furrowed brows and quivering pens, expressed their “deep concern” over the sudden and rather theatrical closure of a specialized unit. This unit, dear reader, was not just any unit; it was the valiant band tasked with the noble pursuit of investigating the nefarious activities tied to the ever-mysterious realm of digital assets. The lawmakers, in their infinite wisdom, argued that this abrupt move risks creating a blind spot in federal law enforcement, much like a man trying to navigate a dark alley while wearing a blindfold, just as crypto-related crimes are on the rise like a loaf of bread in a warm oven. 🍞

DOJ’s Grand Defense: A Shift to Individual Prosecutions

On April 7, the DOJ, in a move that could only be described as a plot twist worthy of a Russian novel, decided to shutter the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET). They claimed, with all the seriousness of a cat contemplating a leap, that this change would allow them to focus on prosecuting individual bad actors rather than scrutinizing the entire crypto industry, which, let’s be honest, is like trying to catch a fish with your bare hands in a sea of jelly. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, with a flourish, declared that the DOJ “is not a digital asset regulator” and should not engage in “regulation by prosecution.”

According to the illustrious Blanche, new guidance will deprioritize investigations into crypto exchanges, wallets, and privacy tools—unless, of course, they are directly linked to illegal activity. Because who needs to investigate the whole forest when you can just focus on the one tree that’s on fire? 🔥

Lawmakers Sound the Alarm: A Call to Arms!

But wait! Senator Warren and her esteemed colleagues, with the fervor of a group of villagers armed with pitchforks, argue that dismantling NCET sends the wrong message. They pointed to the team’s success in major enforcement actions, including sanctions-related charges against the infamous Tornado Cash and investigations of North Korean-linked hackers, who, let’s face it, are not exactly the neighborhood watch. 🕵️‍♂️

“The dissolution of NCET threatens to unravel hard-won progress in combating financial crimes that exploit digital assets,” the letter warned, as if it were a prophecy foretold by a soothsayer. The lawmakers, in their quest for clarity, called upon the DOJ to explain its decision and outline how it plans to maintain strong enforcement against crypto-related crime moving forward, lest we all find ourselves lost in a digital wilderness without a map. 🗺️

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2025-04-11 18:57