White House Confirms Withdrawal Of Brian Quintenz's Nomination

The White House has formally confirmed that it has withdrawn the nomination of Andreessen Horowitz policy chief and former regulator Brian Quintenz for the position of the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), according to a report by Politico.

Quintenz, who previously served as a CFTC commissioner and later joined a16z Crypto as head of policy, was widely as the leading candidate to lead the derivatives watchdog under under U.S. President Donald Trump’s second administration.

But sources confirmed the nomination was rescinded before a public announcement was made. In a statement, Quintenz expressed his gratitude to Trump and the Senate, saying

“Being nominated to chair the CFTC and going through the confirmation process was the honor of my life. I’m looking forward to returning to my private sector endeavors during this exciting time for innovation in our country.”

The reversal comes amid an incident between Quintenz and Winklevoss twins. According to reports, Quintenz received a text from the Winklevoss asking him to promise to drop the Gemini's ongoing dispute with the CFTC once he was the chairman.

Quintenz refused the request, and soon after, the White House made a 180 U-Turn and suspended Quintenz's nomination.

In a social media post, Quintenz shared text messages with Tyler Winklevoss, in which the longtime crypto donor raised concerns about the CFTC’s ongoing misconduct complaint against Gemini, filed in June 2025.

“I believe these texts make it clear what they were after from me, and what I refused to promise.”

Search for a New CFTC Chair

With Quintenz’s nomination now off the table, speculation is mounting over who will lead the federal agency responsible for overseeing derivatives, futures, and certain aspects of the crypto markets.

Names floated as possible replacements include former CFTC official Josh Sterling, National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Chair Kyle Hauptman, and former CFTC Commissioner Jill Sommers.

While the White House has yet to confirm its next pick, the leadership choice could have significant implications for crypto regulation at a time when the sector is under intensifying scrutiny.