Elizabeth Warren raises ethics concerns over White House crypto czar David Sacks’ tenure

Democratic lawmakers probe David Sacks over potential ethics violations amid Trump administration role.

Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.

Democratic lawmakers pressed David Sacks, President Donald Trump’s “crypto and AI czar,” on Sept. 17 to disclose whether he has exceeded the time limits of his temporary White House appointment, raising questions about possible ethics violations.

In a letter signed by Senator Elizabeth Warren and seven other members of Congress, the lawmakers said Sacks may have surpassed the 130-day cap for Special Government Employees, a category that allows private-sector professionals to serve the government on a part-time or temporary basis.

The Office of Government Ethics sets the cap to minimize conflicts of interest, as SGEs are permitted to continue receiving outside salaries while in government service. Warren has previously raised similar concerns around Sacks’ appointment.

Conflict-of-interest worries

Sacks, a venture capitalist and general partner at Craft Ventures, has played a high-profile role in shaping Trump administration policy on digital assets and artificial intelligence.

Lawmakers argued that his private financial ties to Silicon Valley raise serious ethical questions if he is no longer within the bounds of SGE status.

According to the letter:

“When issuing your ethics waiver, the White House noted that the careful balance in conflict-of-interest rules for SGEs was reached with the understanding that they would only serve the public ‘on a temporary basis. For you in particular, compliance with the SGE time limit is critical, given the scale of your conflicts of interest.”

The group noted that Sacks’ private salary from Craft Ventures is permissible only under the temporary provisions of his appointment. If he has worked past the legal limit, the lawmakers warned, his continued dual roles could represent a breach of ethics.

Counting the days

According to the letter, Sacks was appointed in December 2024 and began working around Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. By the lawmakers’ calculation, he reached the 130-day threshold in late May if counting every calendar day, or late July if counting business days.

As of Sept. 17, they said, he had served for 167 days.

Alongside Warren, the letter was signed by Sens. Chris Van Hollen, Richard Blumenthal and Jeffrey Merkley, as well as Reps. Melanie Stansbury, Betty McCollum, Rashida Tlaib and Bernie Sanders.

The lawmakers requested a full accounting of Sacks’ service record and a clarification of his employment status. The White House and Sacks have not publicly responded to the inquiry.

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