Christy Goldsmith Romero plans to leave the CFTC after Congress confirms Donald Trump’s chair nominee, Brian Quintenz, according to Reuters.
Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero has stated she will step down from the CFTC once Brian Quintenz, President Donald Trump’s nominee for chair, is confirmed by Congress, according to Reuters.
Quintenz, currently the global head of policy at Andreessen Horowitz, has been nominated to take over both the leadership role and Goldsmith Romero’s seat on the commission. He must still secure Senate confirmation, with no vote yet scheduled, before replacing acting chair Caroline Pham.
Goldsmith Romero’s departure would leave Commissioner Kristin Johnson as the sole Democrat on the five-member CFTC, as no more than three commissioners can belong to the same political party at any time. This means the final open seat must be filled by a Democrat.
During her tenure, Goldsmith Romero helped relaunch the agency’s technology advisory committee and played a key role in the CFTC’s lawsuit against Binance and its former CEO, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, which led to a multi-billion dollar settlement.
Trump’s plan to nominate Quintenz was first reported by Bloomberg on Feb. 12, with Quintenz later confirming his nomination on X.
Source: Brian Quintenz
The CFTC is currently headed by acting chair Caroline Pham, who assumed the role on Jan. 20 following the resignation of former chair Rostin Behnam.
Brian Quintenz previously led the agency from 2017 to 2021 during the first Trump administration, having been nominated in 2016 by former President Barack Obama.
During his time at the CFTC, Quintenz was a strong advocate for crypto, supporting the integration of digital asset derivatives and crypto products into the agency’s regulatory framework. His pro-crypto stance continued even after his tenure ended.
In March 2023, he criticized the SEC under Gary Gensler for its inconsistent approach to Ether’s legal status. He pointed out that the regulator’s approval of Ether futures ETFs in October 2023 signaled that Ether was not considered a security.
