According to Odaily Odaily, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, requesting documents and communications related to Bitmain to understand how the Commerce Department is handling the potential national security risks posed by the company.
Bitmain is a major global manufacturer of Bitcoin mining machines. In November 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched an investigation codenamed "Operation Red Sunset" to examine whether Bitmain's ASIC miners could be remotely accessed for espionage or to interfere with the U.S. power grid. The investigation is reportedly still ongoing.
Previously, shipments of Bitmain equipment had been halted, and the use of its mining machines near US military bases was flagged as posing a significant national security risk. Warren's letter also requested the Department of Commerce to provide details of communications between Bitmain and the Trump family and Department of Commerce officials. American Bitcoin Corp., backed by Trump, had previously purchased 16,000 Bitmain mining machines for $314 million.
