{"id":36814,"date":"2026-08-10T07:18:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T07:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/clarity-act-gains-u-s-security-backing-from-ex-defense-chief\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T07:18:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T07:18:49","slug":"clarity-act-gains-u-s-security-backing-from-ex-defense-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/clarity-act-gains-u-s-security-backing-from-ex-defense-chief\/","title":{"rendered":"CLARITY Act gains U.S. security backing from ex-defense chief"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-detail__content blocks\">\n<p class=\"is-style-lead\">Former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper urged senators to pass the CLARITY Act, arguing in a Financial Times op-ed that digital asset market structure should be treated as a national security issue as well as a financial regulatory question.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"cn-block-summary-block_bb28212f2b67e571f3c6e6ff593fd98d\" class=\"cn-block-summary\">\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__nav tabs\">\n        <span class=\"tabs__item is-selected\">Summary<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper called the CLARITY Act a national security bill requiring passage.<\/li>\n<li>Senate Majority Leader John Thune filed cloture, scheduling an initial procedural vote for September 15.<\/li>\n<li>Updated bill expands Treasury authority over digital asset transfers tied to foreign money laundering concerns.<\/li>\n<li>Esper argued clearer U.S. crypto rules could counter North Korean abuse and Chinese payment alternatives.<\/li>\n<li>Esper currently serves on Coinbase\u2019s Global Advisory Council, a relevant affiliation when assessing his advocacy.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- .cn-block-summary --><\/p>\n<p>Esper <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/8b61001e-6d7c-4ca9-8c4b-853b4555f318\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">argued<\/a> that China is building payment infrastructure outside U.S. oversight and that North Korean cyber actors continue exploiting digital assets.<\/p>\n<p>His intervention comes just as the Senate has set the bill\u2019s next procedural step. Majority Leader John Thune filed cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 3633 before the chamber began its August recess. The Senate Radio TV Correspondents Gallery says the vote is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. ET on Sept. 15, one day after senators return for regular business. It is a vote on whether to advance consideration, not final passage.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Esper frames the CLARITY Act as a security issue<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Esper described the legislation as \u201cnot merely a financial services bill\u201d but also a \u201cnational security bill.\u201d He argued that bringing more digital asset activity under U.S. rules could improve law enforcement visibility, support sanctions enforcement and reduce incentives for crypto businesses to operate through lightly regulated foreign venues. Those are Esper\u2019s policy arguments rather than independent findings about the bill\u2019s eventual effects.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Great piece by former Defense Secretary <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MarkTEsper?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@MarkTEsper<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Clarity Act, now before the Senate, is not merely a financial services bill. It is also a national security bill, and it should be understood as such and passed with urgency.\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/S9o4JtufAp\">pic.twitter.com\/S9o4JtufAp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Faryar Shirzad \ud83d\udee1\ufe0f (@faryarshirzad) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/faryarshirzad\/status\/2086446796323131704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 9, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The former defense secretary pointed to North Korea\u2019s Lazarus Group as one example. U.S. Treasury records identify Lazarus as a North Korean state sponsored cyber group and have linked it to major cryptocurrency thefts, including the roughly $620 million Ronin bridge attack. Esper also argued that Chinese payment alternatives could weaken U.S. financial leverage, although that assessment remains his geopolitical argument.<\/p>\n<p>Esper\u2019s industry ties are also relevant context. Coinbase currently <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/investor.coinbase.com\/governance\/Global-Advisory-Council\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">lists<\/a> him on its Global Advisory Council, which advises the exchange\u2019s leadership. He joined the council in 2023 alongside other former national security officials.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Latest bill text gives Treasury new digital asset tools<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Senate\u2019s July 22 merged <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lummis.senate.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/Clarity-Act.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">text<\/a> gives part of Esper\u2019s argument a direct legislative basis. Section 10303 would amend 31 U.S.C. 5318A, the statute implementing Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act, by adding a new special measure covering certain digital asset fund transfers.<\/p>\n<p>Under the proposal, Treasury could prohibit or place conditions on transfers involving foreign jurisdictions, financial institutions or transaction classes found to present a primary money laundering concern connected to digital assets. Treasury describes existing Section 311 authority as a tool for protecting the U.S. financial system from money laundering and terrorist financing threats.<\/p>\n<p>The 616 page draft also contains a dedicated illicit finance title, studies of foreign adversary activity, digital asset law enforcement training and provisions for international cooperation against illicit finance. Senate Banking Chairman Tim Scott has likewise argued that the measure would make it harder for criminals and foreign adversaries to exploit the financial system.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Critics dispute whether the bill strengthens security enough<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The national security case remains contested. During the May Senate Banking markup, ranking member Elizabeth Warren argued that the then current draft could instead increase national security risks. She cited concerns over DeFi, illicit finance enforcement and protections for noncontrolling software developers.<\/p>\n<p>The National Sheriffs\u2019 Association raised related objections in a May <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.banking.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/national_sheriffs_association_letter_to_senate_banking_re_hr_3633_clarity_act.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">letter<\/a>, warning that parts of the earlier proposal could restrict law enforcement\u2019s ability to pursue illicit transfers involving mixers and decentralized systems. Those comments addressed the May draft, while the July version added and reorganized several law enforcement and illicit finance provisions.<\/p>\n<p>The competing arguments mean Esper\u2019s characterization should not be presented as bipartisan consensus. Supporters view clearer rules and expanded Treasury powers as strengthening U.S. security, while critics continue questioning whether exemptions elsewhere in the legislation could weaken enforcement.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sept. 15 becomes the next CLARITY Act test<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The House passed the CLARITY Act <strong>294 to 134<\/strong> in July 2025. The Senate Banking Committee later advanced its version <strong>15 to 9<\/strong> in May 2026.<\/p>\n<p>As crypto.news reported in the September vote update, Thune\u2019s cloture filing keeps the legislation moving after senators failed to complete consideration before recess. The Sept. 15 vote is therefore the next measurable test of whether leaders can assemble enough bipartisan support to move into floor debate.<\/p>\n<p>The calendar remains difficult. In Grayscale\u2019s latest assessment, research head Zach Pandl said passage during 2026 now appears unlikely because of the compressed Senate calendar and election year politics. That remains an assessment, not a determination of the bill\u2019s outcome.<\/p>\n<p>Esper\u2019s intervention adds a former defense secretary\u2019s voice to the security argument, but it does not settle the remaining legislative disputes. The Sept. 15 procedural vote will show whether that broader framing helps the CLARITY Act secure enough support to move further through the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper urged senators to pass the CLARITY Act, arguing in a Financial Times op-ed that digital asset market structure should be treated as a national&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36814"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36815,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36814\/revisions\/36815"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}