TLDR
- Warren asked Howard Lutnick for Bitmain documents, emails, and communications.
- The letter seeks contacts involving Bitmain, Commerce officials, and the Trump family.
- The request follows Operation Red Sunset, a DHS probe into Bitmain machine risks.
- American Bitcoin bought 16,000 Bitmain rigs for $314 million in August 2025.
- Bitmain told Bloomberg it complies with U.S. law and denies security risk claims.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is targeting Bitmain-Trump family ties in a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The move puts a Chinese mining supplier and a Trump-linked venture in the same review.
The Massachusetts Democrat wants records on Bitmain, its contacts, and Commerce decisions. The letter follows federal scrutiny of Bitmain’s mining machines. It centers on records, contacts, and internal decisions. It also places the Trump family’s mining business under fresh review.
Records request focuses on Commerce contacts
Bloomberg reported the letter on Friday after Warren sent it on Thursday. She requested documents, emails, and other communications tied to Bitmain. She also asked what actions Commerce has taken over “potential national security concerns.”
Warren asked for exchanges involving Bitmain, Commerce officials, and the Trump family. She also asked how the department shields security decisions from firms with Trump business ties. Commerce did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to The Block.
Warren also asked what steps Commerce has taken to keep national security decisions free from political influence. She wrote that connected crypto firms should not receive special treatment. Democrats hold the Senate minority, so the letter does not carry subpoena power.
Operation Red Sunset remains unresolved
The letter follows Bloomberg’s November 2025 report on Operation Red Sunset. The Department of Homeland Security led the probe. Investigators examined whether Bitmain ASIC machines could be used for espionage. They also reviewed whether the hardware could disrupt the U.S. power grid.
National Security Council discussions began under Joe Biden and continued into the early Trump White House. A May 2024 federal review had already raised concerns about Bitmain equipment near a U.S. military base. A Senate Intelligence Committee report later described “several disturbing vulnerabilities.” The status of the federal investigation remains publicly unresolved.
Bitmain has denied the allegations. The company told Bloomberg it has never engaged in activity that threatens U.S. national security. That response stands against the government reviews, but no public final finding has been released.
Trump family mining ties draw fresh scrutiny
Warren’s letter also focuses on American Bitcoin, a venture tied to Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. It was formed as a joint venture with Hut 8. SEC filings show it bought 16,000 Bitmain rigs for $314 million in August 2025.
American Bitcoin later said it bought 11,298 more ASICs. It said its fleet reached about 89,242 machines and 28.1 EH/s. The company also said it held about 6,900 BTC. Warren wrote that “politically connected crypto interests” must not receive special treatment.
The letter fits a wider pattern of Warren’s crypto oversight requests. In March 2025, she asked David Sacks for financial disclosures before the White House crypto summit. She has also pressed the Treasury Department over the GENIUS stablecoin act. Bitmain told Bloomberg it “strictly complies with U.S. and applicable laws and regulations.”
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