Media: Donald Trump's team has expanded the list of candidates for the head of the SEC

According to numerous news reports, a list of candidates for the position of SEC chairman has formed in the future administration of Donald Trump.

According to CoinDesk, another candidate became Theresa Goodie Gillen, a partner at the law firm BakerHostetler.

Among others, are considered:

• partner Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP Robert Stebbins;
• Chief Legal Officer Robinhood Dan Gallagher;
• Former Acting Head of the Office of the Money Controller Brian Brooks;
• Former SEC commissioners Brad Bondi and Paul Atkins.

According to user ratings on the Kalshi prediction platform, Goody Gillen is leading the race - her chances of being appointed are estimated at 32%.

Data: Kalshi.

"She is the best candidate out of all the ones being talked about right now. She has a clear understanding of the laws and how the SEC works," commented Masa co-founder Brendan Playfort.

From 2009 to 2011, Gudi Gillen worked as a lawyer in the department.

According to CoinDesk sources, the Trump team intends to reform the SEC and roll back the 'enforcement-oriented' policy that has been formed under current Chairman Gary Gensler. The president-elect promised to fire him on the first day after the inauguration.

Regarding cryptocurrencies, the Trump administration is looking for a person to head the Commission who understands the industry and is ready to exercise restraint in applying securities laws to digital assets in the absence of clear regulation. According to experts, Gudie Gilleon embodies these principles.

"Teresa is a true pioneer in the crypto industry, possessing the experience and vision necessary to lead SEC and stimulate the growth of capital and digital asset markets in the United States. She embodies everything President Trump envisioned for the sector," said Nicole Trudo from Wave Digital Assets, who has crossed paths with the candidate for the position.

The community is discussing candidates

Different preferences are expressed in the industry. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse believes that the next chairman of the regulator should be former CFTC head Chris Giancarlo, Brooks or Gallagher. The entrepreneur wrote about this shortly after Trump's election.

But he criticized Stebbins' candidacy because of his involvement in the scandal involving former SEC employee William Hinman. In 2018, the latter stated that for a number of reasons, the regulator does not consider bitcoin and Ethereum to be securities.

In a group of strong candidates for SEC Chair, it's unconscionable to consider someone directly involved in Bill Hinman's unethical (likely illegal) push to pick winners and losers in crypto.

Choosing Stebbins would be akin to bringing us back to the start of the regulation by…

— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) November 19, 2024

"Stebbins' choice would be tantamount to returning us to the beginning of the era of regulation by coercion," Garlinghouse emphasized.

His opinion was supported by Ripple's Chief Legal Officer Stewart Alderotti.

John Reed Stark Consulting President John Reed Stark questioned whether the crypto community would allow Stebbins to head the SEC. The applicant served as the agency's legal counsel under Chairman Jay Clayton from 2017 to 2021 when the regulator's war with digital assets began.

Possible SEC Chair nominations of Atkins, Bondi, Gallagher and Stebbins — Who Are These Guys?

Kudos @EleanorTerrett, nice job on reporting the SEC Chair short list to us all — you are killing it as always. Atkins, Gallagher, Bondi and Stebbins are all highly impressive choices… pic.twitter.com/9TlE02Z5S3

• John Reed Stark (@JohnReedStark) November 16, 2024

Stark believes that leading industry players have gained enough weight after successful participation in Trump's election campaign, and Stebbins' candidacy looks unacceptable to them.

As former SEC Compliance Division Chief Stark noted, it was a pleasure to work with Atkins and Gallagher, and they can be expected to have an equally cautious and thoughtful approach to cryptocurrencies. In his opinion, Bondi also has a positive attitude towards digital assets.

Stark called all three of them some of the most qualified commissioners in the agency's history and a good choice for the position of the head.

"Brad [Bondi], obviously, is most likely from this group of candidates to actually shake up SEC. For example, I would expect that on his first day at headquarters he will order an immediate halt to all cryptocurrency-related investigations," said John Reed Stark Consulting founder.

According to Christine Smith, CEO of the Blockchain Association, the next head of the SEC is one of the most important appointments for the future administration.

The next SEC chair is the most critical position for crypto @realdonaldtrump will appoint.

The chair must be a known quantity committed to undoing the damage of the last 4 years, have expertise on crypto–and share Trump’s vision of making the US the crypto capital of the world.

• Kristin Smith (@KMSmithDC) November 19, 2024

"The chairman must be a well-known person seeking to rectify the damage done over the past four years, have experience in digital assets, and share Trump's vision of transforming the United States into the global capital of cryptocurrencies," she emphasized.

Trump is forming an industry-friendly administration

Meanwhile, the team of the 47th President of the United States is likely to continue nominating cryptocurrency supporters to government positions.

It is expected that Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. will head the Ministry of Health. The former participant in the pre-election campaign as an independent candidate recently admitted that he invested the majority of his fortune in Bitcoin.

Nominated for the position of Minister of Defense, Pete Hackett also supports the cryptocurrency industry.

Trump announced the appointment of Cantor Fitzgerald's CEO Howard Lutnick as Minister of Trade.

Thank you, President Trump for your trust in me to help Make America Great Again. As the next Secretary of Commerce, I will join the best administration the US has ever seen and unleash our full economic potential. pic.twitter.com/CTr0sdH6nt

• Howard Lutnick (@howardlutnick) November 19, 2024

The company, led by him, is closely associated with Tether and has been the main custodian of USDT reserves for many years.

Lyutnik owns bitcoins, just like Cantor Fitzgerald. In July, the company announced the launch of a cryptocurrency-backed lending service.

Recall, billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the new Department of Government Efficiency under Trump - DOGE.