White House Decides Against Naming Brian Quintenz CFTC Lead

The White House has changed its mind about appointing ex-Kalshi member and crypto ally Brian Quintenz as the next Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) lead. This decision was first reported by Politico and confirmed by the White House soon after.  

Quintenz Was Honored by the Nomination

For a while, Quintenz stood out as the most likely candidate to lead the CFTC. However, his confirmation was delayed due to emails tied to the nominee, which could have influenced the White House’s ultimate decision. These included challenges from the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange and controversies surrounding Quintenz’s stint with Kalshi.

Gemini founders and crypto veterans Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss were among the biggest opponents of the appointment of Quintenz as CFTC lead and urged President Donald Trump to reconsider the appointment.

In the end, Quintenz’s appointment was dropped, despite the initial momentum of his nomination. Despite failing to rise to the position of CFTC lead, Quintenz told Politico that the nomination itself was an honor enough. He added that he will now return to his private sector endeavors.

The White House to Consider Other Candidates

Nevada Democrat Rep. Dina Titus was pleased with this development due to her concerns about Quintenz’s former ties with Kalshi. She emphasized that the CFTC “deserves strong, independent leadership that will follow and enforce agency regulations.”

With Quintenz’s appointment failing to materialize, the White House will need to consider who the next nominee would be. The potential outliers, according to Politico’s sources, include the following:

• Mike Selig, chief counsel for the Securities and Exchange Commission’s crypto task force
• Tyler Williams, who serves as crypto advisor to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
• Josh Sterling, a former CFTC official
• Jill Sommers, another former CFTC commissioner  

The aforementioned parties either declined to comment on the matter or did not respond to requests for comment, Politico noted.