Witkoff could face ethics probe over UAE deals, senators say

The State Department’s independent watchdog is reviewing a request from two Democratic senators to investigate whether Trump administration officials, including Steve Witkoff and David Sacks, violated ethics rules in connection with deals involving the UAE, according to correspondence obtained by Semafor.

The inspector general’s office wrote to Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) earlier this month, confirming that it is evaluating their request for a probe into the involvement of Witkoff and Sacks in a decision to allow the export of advanced U.S.-made chips to the UAE.

The senators raised concerns over the officials’ work on the matter due to reported financial ties to the UAE in the cryptocurrency sector.

“The office owes Congress a full investigation,” Warren said in a statement, adding that the information is needed as lawmakers consider potential ethics guardrails in cryptocurrency legislation.

Slotkin also called for transparency in the review process. “The public deserves to know the motivations of senior officials making international deals in their name. Our national security should never be for sale,” she said.

A spokesperson for the inspector general’s office declined to comment on “investigative matters.” The White House, which has maintained that the officials adhered to ethics rules, did not respond to a request for comment.

By Aghakazim Guliyev