FIRST ON FOX: One of the major players in the crypto and artificial intelligence (AI) industries attempting to cozy up to the Trump administration is a longtime Democratic operative and donor who has backed anti-Trump efforts and candidates while working for companies stacked with Democratic activists.
Chris Lehane, a veteran political strategist dating back to the Clinton administration, has donated over $150,000 to Democrats, FEC records show, and many of those Democrats have been outspoken Trump critics for several years.
Lehane has been a major backer of Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, who voted to convict Trump during his impeachment trial in 2021 and against several of Trump’s Cabinet nominees. He also hosted a San Francisco fundraiser for the Virginia senator, along with Open AI’s Sam Altman, in March.
Warner has been a key figure in the resistance to the Trump administration, including being a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s “sloppy” Signal chat controversy and pushing back on the administration’s DOGE push against waste, fraud and abuse in government. Lehane also donated thousands of dollars to the Biden and Harris campaigns.
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In 2024, Lehane joined the board of Coinbase, which operates one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world, and has taken an active role influencing crypto and AI policy in recent months.
Coinbase’s Board of Directors and prominent investors have donated more than $22 million to Democratic candidates and committees while donating less than $5 million to Republicans, FEC records show.
Those donations include almost $50,000 to Kamala Harris’ campaign since 2009, including to her presidential campaign, from top Coinbase investor and Democratic donor Ron Conway.
Conway has donated over $300,000 to the DNC, over $1.5 million to the DCCC and millions to the House Majority PAC and Senate Majority PAC, FEC records show.
Since 1999, board member Fred Wilson has given over $2 million to political campaigns and committees, and only $17,600 of that went to Republicans, FEC records show.
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Additionally, Coinbase’s Global Advisory Council is laden with Trump critics, including John Anzelone, a pollster for Biden, Obama and Hillary Clinton; former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper; former Democratic mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa; former GOP Sen. Pat Toomey, who said in September he would not vote for Trump; and former Democratic Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, who served on the January 6th Select Committee.
Julia Krieger, Coinbase’s head of U.S. public affairs, previously worked for American Bridge, a Democratic opposition research firm, and Media Matters, known for organizing pressure campaigns against conservative voices it opposes. She also held multiple roles in the Biden administration and the 2020 Biden campaign.
Coinbase does have two Trump allies on its advisory board — David Urban and recently appointed Chris LaCivita, who served as the Republican National Committee’s chief operating officer and held multiple titles on the successful 2024 Trump campaign. Additionally, several members of Coinbase’s executive team have donated to Republicans, including Brian Armstrong and Paul Grewal.
Armstrong, the company’s CEO, was present at the Trump White House crypto summit earlier this year.
Open Secrets data from the 2024 election cycle shows a roughly 50-50 split between Coinbase’s donations to congressional Democrats and Republicans.
“Our focus has always been mission first, to support candidates that support crypto and blockchain innovation, and we’re proud to do so,” Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad, a former top NSC official under President George W. Bush, told Fox News Digital.
Lehane also serves as the vice president of global affairs at OpenAI, a company that Fox News Digital reported on recently. It partnered with a new AI initiative led by a group co-founded with outgoing Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry that has pushed left-wing causes and has several board members aligned with Democrats.
The longtime Democratic operative is also an operating partner at Haun Ventures, which is staffed by employees who appear to donate almost exclusively to Democrats. Since 2022, individuals listed as being employed by Haun Ventures have made 43 separate political contributions totaling over $110,000. All 43 of those were to Democratic candidates or organizations.
Lehane is credited with coining the phrase “vast right-wing conspiracy” to describe the Monica Lewinsky scandal while he was working for the Clinton administration and has been labeled in the media as a “master of the political dark arts.”
“Shocking, another Trump hater is trying to cozy up to Trump for business purposes,” a person close to the Trump administration told Fox News Digital. “Trump won’t be fooled.”
Lately, Lehane has been vocal about efforts to cozy up to the incoming administration, which has made advancing crypto and AI technology a priority, and even visited the White House in March. He “has had many meetings with Trump administration officials about AI policy, and expects a full strategy to be released by the summer,” Axios reported.
“There’s a real focus from the administration on developing an AI strategy to ensure U.S. economic competitiveness and national security are prioritized,” Lehane told the outlet.
“Our work stream is intersecting with where the administration is going.”
Lehane penned an op-ed for Fox News in March, “Securing the AI future: How President Trump’s action plan can position America for success.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that Ron Conway is a top investor of Coinbase and not a board member.
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