TLDR
- Sheikh Tahnoon secretly bought 49% of Trump crypto firm for $500M.
- Eric Trump signed the deal before Trump’s 2017 inauguration.
- $187M went to Trump family entities and $31M to Trump allies.
- Deal came before approval of AI chip sales to UAE later that year.
Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling for congressional hearings after a Wall Street Journal report revealed that the UAE’s top intelligence official, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, secretly acquired a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto firm linked to the Trump family.
The $500 million deal, signed by Eric Trump, reportedly transferred millions to Trump-related entities just before the Trump administration approved advanced U.S. AI chip sales to the UAE. Warren warned the deal raises corruption and national security concerns.
Secret UAE Stake in Crypto Company Raises Questions
Senator Elizabeth Warren is urging Congress to launch hearings after new findings about a major foreign investment in a Trump-connected firm. A Wall Street Journal investigation reported that Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser, quietly acquired a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial for $500 million.
🚨SEN. WARREN DEMANDS PROBE INTO TRUMP–UAE CRYPTO DEAL, CALLS IT “OBVIOUS CORRUPTION”
🇺🇸 Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling for a congressional probe into the $187M $WLFI deal between the Trump family and the UAE royal family, alleging it coincided with U.S. approval of… pic.twitter.com/XeQqM7LQ5o
— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) February 2, 2026
The deal was reportedly signed by Eric Trump, days before Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration. The transaction sent $187 million to Trump family-related entities and at least $31 million to firms connected to Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. This financial movement occurred months before the Trump administration approved the sale of advanced AI chips to the UAE, despite known security concerns.
Warren Alleges Corruption and National Security Risk
Warren, a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, stated that the deal raises corruption concerns. She said, “This is corruption, plain and simple. Congress needs to grow a spine and put a stop to Trump’s crypto corruption.”
She also called for testimony from several former Trump officials, including Steve Witkoff, investor David Sacks, and former Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The senator questioned whether U.S. officials compromised national security for financial gain linked to the president’s crypto interests.
Warren and Representative Elissa Slotkin previously urged an investigation into whether Trump or his close associates profited from crypto-related foreign deals