Blumenthal probes Tether payments to Bo Hines' firm

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the ranking Democrat on the Senate's investigations subcommittee, has added an inquiry into payments Tether made to the firm of Bo Hines, the former White House crypto adviser, to his widening list of crypto-related probes. The move extends Blumenthal's scrutiny of the stablecoin issuer, which already includes a letter to Cantor Fitzgerald over its stake in Tether and custody of its reserves, and a subcommittee report linking USDT to Iran's shadow banking network.

• Hines, a former House candidate, served as an adviser in the Trump administration's digital-assets office before departing.
• No terms, payment amounts or firm details were disclosed.

The investigation adds a compliance-ties angle to Washington's closer look at how Tether's business intersects with former and current officials.