Trump dinner for meme coin buyers prompts senators to demand ethics probe; CNBC, April 25, 2025

 MacKenzie Sigalos, Ari Levy, CNBC; Trump dinner for meme coin buyers prompts senators to demand ethics probe

"Senators Adam Schiff and Elizabeth Warren are warning that President Donald Trump’s private dinner with holders of his meme coin may constitute “pay to play” corruption, and are calling for an ethics investigation.

The Democratic senators, from California and Massachusetts, respectively, sent a letter on Friday to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, asking for a probe to determine if President Trump violated federal ethics rules by offering exclusive access to top investors in his $TRUMP coin.

The letter pertains to a promotion, announced on the meme coin’s website on Wednesday, offering the top 220 holders of the token dinner with the president on May 22 at his golf club near Washington, D.C. The coin jumped by 50% in value after the invitation was posted."

Lindsey Graham and Elizabeth Warren: When It Comes to Big Tech, Enough Is Enough; The New York Times, July 27, 2023

Lindsey Graham and Elizabeth Warren , The New York Times; Lindsey Graham and Elizabeth Warren: When It Comes to Big Tech, Enough Is Enough

"For more than a century, Congress has established regulatory agencies to preserve innovation while minimizing harm presented by emerging industries. In 1887 the Interstate Commerce Commission took on railroads. In 1914 the Federal Trade Commission took on unfair methods of competition and later unfair and deceptive acts and practices. In 1934 the Federal Communications Commission took on radio (and then television). In 1975 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission took on nuclear power, and in 1977 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission took on electricity generation and transmission. We need a nimble, adaptable, new agency with expertise, resources and authority to do the same for Big Tech.

Our Digital Consumer Protection Commission Act would create an independent, bipartisan regulator charged with licensing and policing the nation’s biggest tech companies — like Meta, Google and Amazon — to prevent online harm, promote free speech and competition, guard Americans’ privacy and protect national security. The new watchdog would focus on the unique threats posed by tech giants while strengthening the tools available to the federal agencies and state attorneys general who have authority to regulate Big Tech.

Our legislation would guarantee common-sense safeguards for everyone who uses tech platforms."

‘You should resign': Elizabeth Warren excoriates Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf; Washington Post, 9/20/16

Jena McGregor, Washington Post; ‘You should resign': Elizabeth Warren excoriates Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf:

"In at least a couple of instances, she used the bank's own words against him. She began by reading from the bank's "vision and values statement," which says "we believe in values lived, not phrases memorized," and "if you want to find out how strong a company's ethics are, don't listen to what its people say. Watch what they do."

So, she said, "let's do that," noting Stumpf had repeatedly said "I'm accountable." Then she drilled into questions where he was unable to affirmatively answer that he had resigned, handed back money he'd earned or fired any senior executives."

"I'm In"; Doonesbury, 7/31/16

Garry Trudeau, Doonesbury:

"I'm In"

Elizabeth Warren Calls Donald Trump A ‘Racist Bully’; Huffington Post, 6/9/16

Peter Andrew Hart, Huffington Post; Elizabeth Warren Calls Donald Trump A ‘Racist Bully’ :

"“You should be ashamed of yourself, ashamed,” Warren said. “Ashamed for using the megaphone of a presidential campaign to attack a judge’s character and integrity simply because you think you have some God-given right to steal people’s money and get away with it. You shame yourself and you shame this great country.”

She continued: “Like all federal judges, Judge Curiel is bound by the federal code of judicial ethics not to respond to these attacks. Trump is picking on someone who is ethically bound not to defend himself — exactly what you would expect from a thin-skinned, racist bully.”

“You, Donald Trump, are a total disgrace,” she added."