Trump Pulls Brian Quintenz Nomination for CFTC

Update (Oct. 1, 12:10 am UTC): This article has been updated to add a comment from Brian Quintenz and further information.

The Trump White House has withdrawn Brian Quintenz’s nomination to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

“Being nominated to chair the CFTC and going through the confirmation process was the honor of my life,” Quintenz told Cointelegraph, confirming a Politico report on Tuesday

“I am grateful to the President for that opportunity and to the Senate Agriculture Committee for its consideration,” Quintenz added. “I look forward to returning to my private sector endeavors during this exciting time for innovation in our country.”

Quintenz, a former CFTC Commissioner and head of crypto policy at a16z, was widely backed by the crypto industry, but his nomination faced delays in Congress and reported pushback from crypto exchange Gemini co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.

The White House has yet to officially announce the move, and it’s unclear why Quintenz’s nomination was withdrawn.

Quintenz, Winklevoss public spat over nomination

Quintenz had previously claimed that the Winklevoss brothers had interfered with his nomination for the role, pressuring President Donald Trump to drop his pick.

Quintenz shared a series of private messages between himself and the Winklevosses on X last month, claiming Trump “might have been misled.”

Related: US regulators dismiss SEC-CFTC merger rumors, move to dispel crypto ‘FUD’ 

“I believe these texts make it clear what they were after from me, and what I refused to promise,” Quintenz said. “It’s my understanding that after this exchange they contacted the President and asked that my confirmation be paused for reasons other than what is reflected in these texts.”