Trump closing on crypto regulation team with Gould pick

President Donald Trump’s efforts to assemble a veteran cast of pro-crypto regulators matured with two more nominations, Jonathan Gould and Jonathan McKernan.

Jonathan Gould, a Jones Day partner and former top lawyer at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, has reportedly earned President Trump’s nomination as the OCC’s next boss. Gould worked as the OCC’s chief legal officer and senior deputy comptroller, an important position with input on U.S. federal banking rules.

Gould also served as Bitfury’s chief legal officer and could push for greater banking-crypto integration if confirmed by the Senate as the new comptroller. Notably, two bills in the House and Senate would appoint the OCC as the primary stablecoin regulator.

A change of guard at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau brought Trump’s star-studded crypto team near completion.

President Trump tapped Jonathan McKernan from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to oversee the CFPB after criticizing the bureau for lax operations. McKernan has advised the Department of the Treasury on policy and was previously an attorney for Senator Pat Toomey.

The President also plans to combine the FDIC and OCC, according to the Wall Street Journal, amid leadership changes across a bevy of federal agencies. Trump has nominated several pro-crypto figures to key watchdog offices as the White House pivots to a new digital asset approach.

Figures like Paul Atkins as U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair, a16z’s crypto policy chief Brian Quintenz to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Gould at the OCC, and McKernan for the CFPB paint a crypto-friendly regulatory cabinet.

Pro-crypto lawmakers also sit on crucial committees for financial rulemaking. Senator Tim Scott and Representative French Hill announced moves in Congress focused on digital asset policies, starting with stablecoins.