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

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

Senate negotiations face new strain over ethics guardrails, enforcement, and law-enforcement concerns as industry groups urge lawmakers to preserve Section 604 protections for non-custodial and open-source developers.

TRUMP

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

The Senate effort to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act is facing renewed friction as crypto industry leaders press lawmakers to preserve Section 604 protections for non-controlling and open-source software developers, while bipartisan talks have also reopened disputes over crypto ethics guardrails and their enforcement. A bipartisan meeting with White House crypto council executive director Patrick Witt ended without agreement, and senators remain divided over ethics provisions tied to Trump's crypto business interests, related enforcement mechanisms, and whether the bill sufficiently addresses law-enforcement concerns. Senators Warner and Cortez Masto said they will not support the bill unless those concerns are resolved, adding pressure to legislation already facing a narrow Senate calendar.

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.
  • crypto ethics guardrails: Rules meant to limit conflicts of interest in crypto-related policymaking or conduct, including how such standards are enforced.