Trump may have skirted the law addressing his private crypto investors using the presidential seal

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President Donald Trump addressed top investors in his family’s cryptocurrency operation on Thursday night from a podium emblazoned with the presidential seal in apparent violation of federal law.

The prominent appearance of the seal as Trump pitched his $TRUMP meme coin at an exclusive dinner at one of his golf courses made it appear that the federal government was somehow linked to the private business.

Under federal law, the presidential seal can’t be used in such a way that could “convey a false impression of sponsorship or approval” by the government. Breaking the law is punishable by up to to six months in jail.

The president held the big-bucks dinner — which drew derision for its bleak entrees — at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia to reward the top 220 investors in his meme coin. He flew to the event in the Marine One helicopter, which also made it appear that the dinner was an official presidential occasion.

Trump has openly plugged cryptocurrency schemes officially run by sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr that are now reportedly a significant source of the president’s family’s wealth.

Investors invited to the dinner – who participated in a kind of spending lotto since they had to compete to be the biggest payers – spent a total of $394 million on the $TRUMP cryptocurrency for access to the president, according to NBC News, citing blockchain analytics company Nansen.

The sky-high prices, however, were no guarantee of a good meal, however. “The only good thing was the bread and butter,” TikTok personality Nick Pinto told Wired.

A significant portion of the investors were from countries outside the U.S., alarming critics who fear the investments can essentially serve as bribes for Trump favors not in the best interest of the U.S.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed ethics outrage by critics who complain that Trump is capitalizing on his public role for personal gain by saying that the president was using “personal time” to pitch his private business interests.

“The president is attending it in his personal time; it is not a White House dinner,” she told reporters.

Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon joined some 100 protesters outside the event, calling the dinner the “Mount Everest of Corruption,” according to video clips on X. Other protesters waved signs reading “Grift Gala,” “American is not for sale,” and “Stop Crypto Corruption.”

“This is one of the most blatant and appalling instances of selling access to the presidency I’ve ever seen,” said Donald Sherman, executive director and chief counsel of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

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