Warren and Slotkin File Formal Ethics-Probe Request to State Dept OIG, Commerce OIG, and OGE Over Witkoff/Sacks UAE Chip-Deal Conflicts

Opening Paragraph

On September 23, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) sent a formal ethics-investigation request to three federal oversight bodies — the Acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of State (Arne Baker), the Acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Commerce (Duane Townsend), and the Acting Director of the Office of Government Ethics (Eric Ueland) — requesting investigation into potential conflicts of interest by White House AI/Crypto Czar David Sacks and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in connection with the U.S. government’s approval of advanced Nvidia AI chip exports to the UAE.

What Happened / Key Facts

The senators’ letter alleged that both Sacks and Witkoff had failed to disclose financial ties to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan — simultaneously the UAE’s National Security Advisor, chairman of G42, and controller of Aryam Investment 1 (which had purchased 49% of World Liberty Financial). Specifically alleged:

• Neither Sacks nor Witkoff had disclosed financial relationships with the UAE principal whose sovereign investment vehicles paid approximately $500 million into WLFI in January 2025 (with a $2 billion MGX deal subsequently announced)
• Both officials “overrode the concerns of national security officials” who raised alarms about the UAE’s ties to China and offensive cyber capabilities in advocating for the chip deal
• Witkoff, a Special Envoy who holds WLFI positions through Witkoff Holdings LLC, had received no documented § 208(b)(1) ethics waiver authorizing his participation in UAE chip-export matters

The letter requested investigation under conflict-of-interest ethics frameworks (18 U.S.C. § 208) — not a criminal referral to DOJ. The addressees are ethics and administrative oversight bodies. The State Department OIG (Baker) holds primary jurisdiction over Witkoff as Special Envoy; Commerce OIG (Townsend) has jurisdiction over BIS, which administers export controls; OGE (Ueland) covers financial disclosure compliance.

Why This Event Matters

This filing triggered the formal IG oversight track for the Witkoff/Sacks UAE chip-deal conduct. The September 23, 2025 probe request is the predicate document for all subsequent IG activity. It framed the conduct as an administrative/ethics violation — establishing the pathway by which criminal referrals (should they come) would flow from IG findings to DOJ, not directly from congressional allegations. The distinction between an ethics-investigation request and a criminal referral is load-bearing for accurate characterization of subsequent events.

Broader Context

The September 23, 2025 filing came approximately two weeks after the NYT’s September 15, 2025 reporting revealing the UAE’s $2B crypto investment tied to the chip deal approval. The timing of the WLFI payment (January 2025), Witkoff’s appointment (January 2025), and the chip-deal approval (May 2025) constitutes the factual sequence the senators characterized as a conflict of interest. Witkoff’s OGE Form 278e, filed August 2025, showed continuing WLFI financial interests — no documented divestiture.

Research Gaps

• Whether Commerce OIG (Townsend) or OGE (Ueland) responded separately to the September 23 letter — only State OIG response publicly confirmed
• Full text of the letter beyond what the Senate Banking Committee press release excerpts

Related Entries

• state-department-ig-probe-witkoff-sacks-uae-chip-deal-advocacy-evaluation-tracking — comprehensive research note with legal-predicate mapping
• witkoff-steve — actor profile; SGE classification, WLFI holdings, no ethics waiver
• sacks-david — actor profile; two ethics waivers (March 5 + June 2025)
• tahnoon-uae-wlf-g42-mgx-crypto-chip-ai-synthesis-2026 — transaction-scale synthesis
• 2025-09-15–uae-crypto-ai-chips-quid-pro-quo — NYT reporting that triggered the probe request