January 31, 2025 – (Alexandria, VA) Consumer Action for a Strong Economy (CASE) released a new video reminding Americans – especially crypto enthusiasts – of the role former SEC Director of Corporation Finance William Hinman played in bringing about a crypto winter in the United States that lasted for years. President Trump promised a new day for crypto and is already delivering on that promise in signing his Day Three Executive Order, Strengthening America’s Leadership in Digital Financial Technology.

CASE chairman Gerard Scimeca said: “A lot of people were surprised to see Bill Hinman show up at last month’s Crypto Ball and write his thoughts on crypto policy after the damage he caused in office. Many believe his June 2018 speech on crypto regulation gave birth to the SEC’s regulation by enforcement policy against innovators, which fostered the crypto winter and forced crypto companies and financial investment overseas. And until an unredacted version of the SEC’s Inspector General’s report on Mr. Hinman’s possible ethics violations is released there will continue to be a cloud of suspicion over everything he does.”

Mr. Hinman, who donated to many Democratic campaigns, including Hillary Clinton’s and Joe Biden’s presidential campaigns, worked at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from May 2017 through late 2020. His contributions to Mr. Biden’s presidential campaign were made while he was working in the Trump Administration. Interestingly, Mr. Hinman listed both the SEC and his law firm Simpson Thacher, contemporaneously, as his “employer” on FEC reports of his donations. Millions of dollars in payments from Simpson Thacher to Mr. Hinman while he was SEC Director of Corporation Finance was at the center of the Inspector General’s investigation.

The video is slated to run on digital and social media channels.