Pro-XRP Lawyer Says Hinman Emails “Have Taken a Life of Their Own”

Deaton speaks on the growing popularity of Hinman’s docs.

In a recent tweet, pro-XRP attorney Deaton noted that Hinman’s docs emails seem to have taken on “a life of their own.” Deaton’s remark suggests that the documents are becoming popular without relying on other aspects of the SEC vs. Ripple lawsuit for survival.

Despite the popularity of Hinman’s emails, Deaton said many people confuse the documents with the emails released last year by government watchdog group Empower Oversight.

“These emails seem to have taken a life of their own. Some people are confusing these internal SEC emails with the emails being sought by @EMPOWR_us,” said Deaton.

Difference Between Hinman’s Emails and SEC Internal Emails

For clarity, Hinman’s emails refer to internal deliberations at the SEC involving a 2018 speech on cryptocurrencies by William Hinman, former director of the SEC’s Corporation Finance division.

During the speech, Hinman declared cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum as non-securities while ignoring other top assets like XRP.

In contrast, the internal SEC emails released by Empower Oversight last year involved internal communication among past and current officials at the commission.

Notably, the SEC’s emails released by Empower Oversight came with their own controversies, especially stoking the flames of an alleged conflict of interest involving Hinman and an Ethereum-related company, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

While Empower Oversight released more than 200 internal SEC emails as of last year, Hinman’s emails are still sealed.

Deaton Shares Details on Hinman’s Docs

As reported by The Crypto Basic, the document consisting of 63 emails and 52 unique drafts is expected to be released on June 13, 2023.

In July 2022, Deaton disclosed the names of SEC officials who contributed to the drafting of Hinman’s controversial speech.

Some officials include Chief Counsel at SEC’s Corporation Finance David Fredrickson, Assistant Director at SEC’s Enforcement Cyber Unit Valerie Szczepanik, Chief Office of Capital Market Trends at SEC’s Corporation Finance Amy Starr, etc. Meanwhile, Deaton highlighted that only the Ethics Office was not on Hinman’s email chain list.

Hinman’s emails have continued to be essential to the ongoing SEC vs. Ripple lawsuit. In a few weeks, the public might get to read Hinman’s emails as the document is expected to be released on June 13.