The Trump administration has pulled back the nomination of Brian Quintenz for the chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a White House official told Benzinga late Tuesday.
Quintenz’s Name Withdrawn
Nearly eight months after President Donald Trump picked Quintenz to lead the derivatives markets regulator, the White House withdrew his nomination.
“Brian Quintenz remains a trusted ally and the Trump Administration looks forward to working with him in other capacities,” the White House Official said. “President Trump has made it a priority to make America the crypto capital of the world, and in doing so has called for the revitalization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to play a larger role in securing this promise.”
Trump is expected to announce a new nominee “in the near future," the official added.
Quintenz didn’t immediately return Benzinga’s request for comment.
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A Pro-Crypto Voice
Quintenz, a former CFTC Commissioner, was nominated by Trump earlier this year to lead the federal commodities regulator.
Quintenz served at the CFTC from 2017 to 2021 and was recognized for his efforts to modernize the agency’s approach to financial technology. After leaving his regulatory post, he played a role in shaping cryptocurrency policy as head of policy at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, also known as a16z.
Disagreements With Winklevoss
Earlier this month, he shared private messages with Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder of crypto exchange Gemini, on X, revealing their disagreement over the company's ongoing litigation with the CFTC. Quintenz said that Trump “might have been misled.”
“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.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: Mark Van Scyoc on Shutterstock.com
