Crypto Giant Bitmain Faces Scrutiny As US Senator Flags Trump Family Ties
A federal investigation into Chinese {hardware} maker Bitmain sits unresolved, its final result unknown to the general public. That uncertainty is now drawing fireplace from Capitol Hill — and placing US President Donald Trump’s household in the midst of it.
Security Probe Stretches Back To Biden White House
Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Thursday, asking for inside paperwork and communications tied to Bitmain Technologies, the Beijing-based firm that makes a dominant share of the world’s bitcoin mining machines.
According to Bloomberg, which first reported the letter, Warren needs to know what the division has completed to deal with what she known as “potential nationwide safety issues” — and whether or not enterprise ties to the Trump household have formed any of these choices.
The federal probe Warren is urgent on is reportedly often known as “Operation Red Sunset,” although particulars in regards to the investigation haven’t been publicly disclosed. Led by the Department of Homeland Security, it examined whether or not Bitmain’s ASIC mining rigs might be remotely manipulated for espionage or used to knock out elements of the US energy grid.
The investigation was launched underneath the Biden administration and carried into the opening months of Trump’s present time period. Based on Bloomberg’s November 2025 reporting, its standing stays unresolved.
The safety questions round Bitmain didn’t begin with Operation Red Sunset. A Senate Intelligence Committee report from July 2025 concluded that Bitmain {hardware} “will be compelled by the PRC to show over knowledge” underneath China’s nationwide safety regulation.
A yr earlier, a federal overview ordered the divestment of a mining operation close to Wyoming’s Francis E. Warren Air Force Base over what officers described as vital nationwide safety issues tied to foreign-made gear.
Trump Sons Spent $314 Million On The Same Rigs Under Scrutiny
What sharpens the political fringe of Warren’s letter is who has been shopping for Bitmain {hardware} in bulk. American Bitcoin Corp., co-founded by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. in a three way partnership with mining firm Hut 8, reportedly signed a contract in August 2025 to amass 16,000 Bitmain machines for $314 million, paid in pledged bitcoin moderately than money. That deal got here from SEC filings cited by Bloomberg.
The firm has since grown its fleet significantly. Reports point out American Bitcoin added one other 11,298 machines earlier this month, bringing its complete to roughly 89,000 rigs producing about 28.1 exahashes per second of mining energy. Its bitcoin treasury has reached round 6,900 BTC — price roughly $462 million at present costs.
Warren’s letter asks Lutnick immediately what steps his division has taken to maintain nationwide safety choices away from affect from corporations with Trump household enterprise connections.
Featured picture from Quartz, chart from TradingView
