参议院民主党人因Tether关联问题对Cantor Fitzgerald展开审查

Senator Richard Blumensart launches new review of Cantor Fitzgerald's business relationship with Tether

U.S. Senator Richard Blumensart has opened new avenues for review of investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald's business relationship with Tether. He asked the investment bank to provide documents explaining how it monitored compliance risks associated with TEDA and how much the family of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick might have gained from the arrangement.

In a letter sent Thursday, Blumensart, a senior Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, asked Canto Chairman Brandon Lutnick to provide records on how Canto monitored TEDA's compliance with banking and sanctions laws. The senator also asked for records of all communications involving Howard Lutnick regarding TEDA, including communications made after Lutnick left the company. The letter is dated October 8, 2026.

Core Points

• Blumensart asked Canto provide detailed records of how he monitored TEDA's compliance with banking and sanctions.
• The investigation extended to communications involving Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik about TEDA, including communications after his departure.
• Blumensart cited Canto's huge gains from holding shares in TEDA and pointed out that the funds had been distributed to the Lutnik family.
• 此信件紧随民主党人此前提出的指控之后，即泰达币的稳定币USDT曾被用于支持与伊朗有关的金融活动。
• 坎托被要求在10月23日前作出回应。

参议员聚焦合规监督与内部通信

布卢门撒特的信件将坎托与泰达币的关系定性为国家安全问题，断言坎托与泰达币“利润丰厚的商业安排”伴随着非法金融带来的风险。他特别要求坎托解释针对银行规则和制裁义务所执行的合规工作，以及在实践中这些监督是如何构建的。

参议员的请求还异常侧重于内部通信及离职后的通信。他要求提供所有涉及霍华德·卢特尼克且与泰达币相关的通信，“包括在他离开坎托之后”，并寻求答案以了解卢特尼克在其担任董事长兼首席执行官期间，其角色如何塑造了这一关系。

布卢门撒特在信中写道：“令人不安的是，坎托·菲茨杰拉德与泰达币之间利润丰厚的商业安排是以损害美国国家安全的代价换来的。”

据相关报道，坎托·菲茨杰拉德于2024年获得了泰达币5%股权的权利。布卢门撒特声称，坎托也有望从泰达币的储备管理中受益，据报道，它还托管了数百亿美元的泰达币美国国债储备。

Senators also claimed that the value of Canto's Tedar position has increased significantly, with the estimated value allegedly soaring from $600 million to $10 billion since former President Donald Trump returned to office. Blumensart further alleges that Howard Lutnik earned more than $250 million in revenue during this period, including $192 million in dividends from Canto Fitzgerald.

Previous Iran-related allegations have put TEDA and its partners under scrutiny

Blumensart's new round of pressure stems from a report released last month by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations that alleged that the USDT has become a "key tool" in Iran's shadow banking network.

In the early stages of the investigation, Blumensart urged the U.S. Treasury and Justice Departments to investigate potential sanctions violations related to TEDA. TEDA responded that it had cooperated with law enforcement agencies and had taken freezing actions. As previously reported, TEDA said it helped freeze nearly US$550 million in Iran-related USDT.

These previous allegations, and TEDA's response, form the context for Blumensart's current request for more transparency from Cantor. Senators believe that if TEDA generates large returns from stablecoin activity associated with illegal financial risks, then the relevant intermediaries must also be reviewed for how they manage compliance and risk.

"Just as Tedar earns untold interest and investment gains from these stablecoins used in illegal activities, so too does Canto Fitzgerald profit from his relationship with Tedar," Blumensart wrote.

Canto's role began as a reserve custodian

Canto's relationship with TEDA can be traced back to 2021, when Canto began serving as a custodian of U.S. Treasury securities that partially support TEDA reserves.

During this period, Howard Lutnik served as Chairman and CEO, overseeing Canto's work and, based on the information provided, helped negotiate Canto's investment in TEDA in April 2024. Blumensart's letter appears to link these executive responsibilities to whether appropriate oversight and compliance controls exist and whether there are conflicts of interest or governance loopholes as arrangements evolve.

Howard Lutnik resigned as Canto after being confirmed as Commerce Secretary in February 2025. Subsequently, the company appointed its son Brandon as chairman and the other son as vice chairman. The reorganization has intensified Blumensart's focus on who is now leading the partnership and what records they can provide.

Questions Blumensart asked Cantor to answer by October 23

In addition to questions about compliance monitoring and communications, Blumensart is also seeking documents related to Howard Lutnik's withdrawal from Cantor, as well as details of any other loan or financing involving TEDA that could help transfer his ownership to his children.

The senator also asked Canto whether he would request an independent audit of TEDA. He asked for clarification whether Canto had reviewed the possibility of terminating the partnership. He further requested information on steps Canto had taken to investigate allegations of illegal finance and sanctions evasion related to TEDA.

The letter set a deadline: Blumensart asked Canto to respond by October 23.

According to relevant reports, Canto Fitzgerald and TEDA did not immediately respond to requests for comment when the report was compiled.

What this means for crypto asset compliance and policy

For investors and compliance-focused users, Canto's investigation highlights an increasingly tense node: Regulators and lawmakers are increasingly targeting the banking, custody and governance relationships surrounding the main stablecoin ecosystem-not just the stablecoin issuers themselves. What Canto offers next, and how it describes its monitoring and auditing practices, may determine how much further this review will be expanded.