During a House oversight hearing on Thursday, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould faced sharp questions from New York Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks over the extent of former President Donald Trump's influence on financial regulators he appointed. The hearing focused in part on the politically charged issue of a crypto trust charter, which would allow banks to offer digital asset custody and other crypto services.
Gould pushed back against suggestions that Trump was pulling strings, stating that in relation to the crypto trust charter, he has encountered political pressure exclusively from Democrats. “The only pressure I've felt has come from the other side of the aisle,” Gould indicated, according to the hearing transcript. Meeks pressed further on whether Gould felt any obligation to former President Trump, but the comptroller maintained that no such influence exists.
The exchange underscores the increasingly partisan nature of crypto regulation in the United States, with Democrats and Republicans diverging significantly over how to oversee the digital asset industry. Gould’s testimony comes as the OCC continues to deliberate on whether to approve national trust charters for crypto firms, a move that could reshape the landscape for digital asset banking.