Crypto leaders press Senate to pass CLARITY Act with developer protections intact

Kristin Smith joined more than 60 CEOs, founders and over 200 crypto groups urging the Senate to advance the bill without weakening protections for non-controlling and open-source software developers.

1d ago

Fact Check

Eleanor Terrett's original reporting on X (June 8, 2026) breaks the story citing three sources familiar with the meetings, and is corroborated independently by CoinDesk, Cointelegraph, PANews, and BlockBeats. All four key elements of the claim—(1) a White House meeting with law enforcement groups, (2) timing around June 9, (3) substantive focus on illicit finance safeguards and developer protections (from the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act), and (4) the context of a pending Senate vote on the Clarity Act—are explicitly reported. A minor discrepancy exists about whether the meeting is Tuesday June 9 ('today' per CoinDesk) or Wednesday June 10 (per Terrett and most secondary outlets), but this does not undermine the core claim.

Summary

On June 9, Kristin Smith and more than 60 cryptocurrency CEOs and founders urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act without weakening Section 604, the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, arguing that open-source and non-controlling software developers should not be treated as financial intermediaries. Their appeal followed a broader weekend push by more than 200 crypto companies and organizations led by Stand With Crypto for a full Senate vote and explicit legal safeguards for developers. The debate coincided with expected White House discussions with law enforcement groups about illicit-finance risks and developer protections as lawmakers weigh crypto market structure legislation.

Terms & Concepts

CLARITY Act: A proposed U.S. cryptocurrency market structure bill, formally H.R. 3633, that would set rules for digital asset regulation.
Section 604: A CLARITY Act provision, also called the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, that would protect certain non-controlling blockchain developers from Bank Secrecy Act obligations and federal money transmission prosecution.
Bank Secrecy Act: The main U.S. anti-money-laundering law, which imposes compliance and reporting obligations on covered financial businesses.