Brian Quintez, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, released a text exchange with Tyler Winklevoss in his first public statement since his confirmation process stalled over the summer due to direction from the White House, expressing his belief that Trump “might have been misled.”
Quintenz shared a series of text messages he exchanged with Tyler Winklevoss, the co-founder and CEO of crypto exchange Gemini, which is set to go public this week. Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler’s twin brother and co-founder, may have also been included in the group chat titled “tw-cw-bq,” but did not send any messages in the screenshots. On July 24, Tyler Winklevoss asked Quintenz if he had seen a post from June 17, where Tyler announced Gemini’s complaint with the CFTC’s inspector general concerning attorneys pursuing charges against Gemini.
“I believe these texts clarify what they were after from me and what I refused to promise,” Quintenz noted in his posts, marking a rare move for a nominee in a federal confirmation process. “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.”
Before the Senate’s August break, Quintenz’s nomination was expected to advance easily in the Senate Agriculture Committee for a final confirmation vote. However, the White House halted the vote for unspecified reasons, despite Tyler Winklevoss campaigning against his confirmation.
In an interview, Winklevoss argued that Quintenz was a poor choice due to the former commissioner’s intentions to expand the CFTC budget to regulate the crypto industry, past views on legal liability for crypto developers, and what Winklevoss described as Quintenz’s inappropriate attempts to influence the CFTC on behalf of prediction market firm Kalshi.
Quintenz’s recent post suggested Winklevoss was frustrated that Quintenz did not criticize the CFTC’s enforcement actions against Gemini, which were settled in January. A text from Quintenz stated, “I recall my original extreme disappointment at [the Enforcement Division] for pursuing this so aggressively. I commit to have a fair and reasonable review of the matter and the individuals involved to determine if they acted inappropriately.”
He further remarked that a “fully confirmed chair” should address the issue and noted that if current CFTC employees were “communicating with” the Winklevosses, he would have to “give that careful thought.”
Winklevoss questioned if Quintenz was suggesting that Gemini should have delayed filing their complaint until after his confirmation, to which Quintenz responded that “any decision or response to your complaint should be made by and given the full weight of the confirmed chair.”
The crypto executive emphasized that “cultural reform, which includes rectifying what happened to us, should be the highest priority,” and he wanted to know Quintenz’s thoughts on aligning with Trump’s administration to end the legal conflicts.
He also expressed a willingness to bring the matter directly to the president if Quintenz believed he was being undermined by CFTC staff.
Quintenz, Winklevoss, and a spokesperson for Gemini have not responded to requests for comments. The authenticity of the texts has not been independently verified.
In July, a coalition representing the vast majority of the crypto industry urged President Trump to expedite Quintenz’s confirmation, describing him as “the right person at the right time” to lead the CFTC. However, despite the Senate returning to work, a follow-up vote for Quintenz has not yet been scheduled.
Meanwhile, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins has been advancing an industry-friendly initiative while Acting Chairman Caroline Pham at the CFTC has been addressing similar regulatory needs for digital assets.
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