According to Cointelegraph, many crypto community members have criticized U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler on social media and messaging apps for his crackdown on digital asset companies. However, Bloomberg reporters discovered through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that Gensler has received death threats from the United States and internationally since 2022.
Documents released by investigative journalist Jason Leopold on Sept. 13 show that several people sent crude, violent threats to Gensler via voicemails and emails. One person threatened to shoot and "dismember" him, while another threatened to sue him if he continued to send messages.
FOIA documents show that one of the death threats may have come from a government employee, and another threatening email with the subject line "Death" came from Australia. The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to bring criminal charges against the latter.
Although Gensler is often mocked on social media, his regulatory actions in the digital asset industry sometimes trigger more serious reactions. Many crypto users claim to "hate" Gensler on X and Reddit.
Gensler has served as SEC chairman since 2021 and his term ends in 2026. Some experts believe that if the results of the US election favor Democratic candidate Kamala Harris or Trump, it may prompt Gensler to resign.