Democracy Defenders Fund Calls for Federal Investigation into Former White House Crypto Adviser Bo Hines Over Tether Ties
November 9, 2026
Newly obtained financial disclosure report raises questions about whether Hines’ failed to disclose a potential employment agreement with crypto giant Tether
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democracy Defenders Fund has submitted a formal request to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and the FBI calling for an immediate conflict of interest investigation into Robert “Bo” Hines, former executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, to determine if Hines failed to disclose required information on his termination financial disclosure report upon leaving his role as a White House adviser. Knowingly omitting required information could constitute a violation of the Ethics in Government Act.
A copy of Hines’ termination financial disclosure report obtained by Democracy Defenders Fund shows it contains no information about any agreement for future employment with Tether, even though he joined the company just 10 days after leaving the White House. The lack of any disclosure raises serious questions about potential conflicts of interest during his time at the White House.
Democracy Defenders Fund is also seeking answers as to whether Hines participated in matters affecting the financial interests of Tether that may have violated federal conflict of interest laws while he was in government, and whether he received money for acting as an agent of Tether while in government.
Before serving at the White House, Hines founded the small consulting firm Nxum Group, LLC. According to public reporting, in 2025 his firm entered into a multimillion dollar agreement with Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, while Hines was negotiating with Congress over the GENIUS Act. The crypto legislation included provisions that Tether successfully lobbied for that allowed its flagship stablecoin to continue operating in the United States without immediately having to comply with the same regulatory requirements as U.S.-based stablecoin issuers. Shortly after the GENIUS Act passed, Bo Hines left the administration and joined Tether as a strategic advisor and was subsequently appointed CEO of Tether’s U.S. stablecoin business.
“Senior government officials cannot use public office to enrich themselves or benefit private interests,” said Virginia Canter, chief ethics counsel at Democracy Defenders Fund. “There are too many unanswered questions surrounding the timing and scope of Mr. Hines’ involvement with Tether while at the White House, and an immediate investigation is warranted.”
Read the full letter and disclosure forms here.
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Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.
For media inquiries, contact press@democracydefenders.org.
