$500M UAE Deal: Trump World Liberty Financial Faces Probe

Yesterday, February 4, 2026, Representative Ro Khanna initiated a formal House investigation into a reported $500 million UAE investment in World Liberty Financial. The crypto project is linked to associates of President Donald Trump.

The inquiry examines whether the foreign funding poses national security risks or violates the U.S. Constitution. The details were outlined in a letter from Representative Ro Khanna on behalf of the House Select Committee on China.

What the Investment Entails

The details of the controversial investment are stated within the letter provided by Ro Khanna to Zach Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial. The letter includes information on a UAE-based company named Aryam Investment 1 acquiring a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, four days after Donald Trump took office as U.S. President.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan controls Aryam Investment 1, and he is the UAE’s national security advisor and the brother of the current UAE president. It is reported that a $250 million upfront payment to World Liberty Financial was made to facilitate the purchase. 

Source: House Select Committee on China

It is estimated in the letter that $187 million was given to companies tied to the Trump family, while approximately $31 million was deposited into companies owned by Steve Witkoff, the current Special Envoy to the Middle East for President Trump.

Ro Khanna expressed concern over the arrangement, stating it presents serious national security concerns, as well as possible ethical concerns.

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China-Linked Interests Raise Concerns

A significant area of the investigation will involve Sheikh Tahnoon’s relationships with other UAE-based companies that have been identified by U.S. officials as having relationships to Chinese companies involved in technology development.

Following the reported investment, the U.S. government granted export licenses allowing the sale of advanced artificial intelligence chips to G42. The U.S. government also provided support to a major AI data center in the UAE. 

Khanna questioned whether the World Liberty Financial deal influenced these policy decisions. Additionally, the letter indicated a separate $2 billion investment by MGX (a company controlled by Sheikh Tahnoon) in Binance (the world’s largest digital currency exchange), the parent company of which was founded in China. 

That investment used World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin and occurred while Sheikh Tahnoon was visiting Washington D.C. for high-level meetings. 

Potential Constitutional Violations

Additionally, Ro Khanna questioned whether the series of transactions violated the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution. The emoluments clause restricts federal employees from receiving compensation or other forms of financial gain from a foreign government unless they have received approval from Congress.

“Taken together, these arrangements are not just a scandal but may even violate multiple laws and the United States Constitution,” Khanna wrote. He has asked Witkoff to provide detailed answers to 16 specific questions by March 1, 2026. These include ownership documents, due diligence procedures, communications with UAE-based companies, and the existence of internal conflict-of-interest policies.

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