Ripple vs. SEC: 189 Page Hinman Calendar Revealed Covering His Entire Tenure

More details emerged, suggesting a suspicious link between Hinman and Ethereum.

Eleanor Terrett, a Fox Business journalist, shared some interesting information about the public calendar of SEC’s Bill Hinman, covering his entire tenure at the commission. 

“I have received a copy of Bill Hinman’s public calendar covering his entire tenure while at the @SECGov,” Terrett said.  

?BREAKING SCOOP: I have received a copy of Bill Hinman's public calendar covering his entire tenure while at the @SECGov. It's extensive, 189 pages worth, of which I am still combing through but here are some standouts:

— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) September 27, 2022

Some of the interesting details of Hinman’s public calendar include a series of meetings he had with Ethereum-related officials.

Hinman’s Meetings with Ethereum

According to Terrett, in the first two years of Hinman’s time in office, four meetings were scheduled with Ethereum blockchain software company ConsenSys and other officials related to the leading blockchain project.

On March 29, 2018, at 12:30 PM, Hinman had a scheduled meeting with ConsenSys and Amy Starr, an official of the SEC Corporation Finance.

A week later, the former SEC Corporation Finance director had a scheduled meeting with the title “ETH.” Another meeting dubbed “Ether” was also scheduled for Hinman on April 12, 2018, at 4:30 AM. On April 23, 2018, at 5 PM, Hinman had a scheduled meeting with Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin.

After combing through the first two years of entries in the #Hinman calendar, there were 4 total meetings that were scheduled to take place with @ConsenSys or officials associated with it and at least two other meetings concerning #ETH before Hinman's June 18th speech.

— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) September 27, 2022

Terrett Further writes:

“Friday, November 20th, 2020 @ 10:45AM: Hinman had a scheduled call with Valerie Szczepanik. The entry is titled ‘Val to call Bill re XRP’. Monday December 7th, 2020 @ 12:30PM: Hinman had a scheduled meeting with Ripple Counsel & Kristina Littman, who was then Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s Cyber Unit. That meeting took place 15 days before Clayton brought the lawsuit against Ripple.

After combing through the first two years of entries in the #Hinman calendar, there were 4 total meetings that were scheduled to take place with ConsenSys or officials associated with it and at least two other meetings concerning ETH before Hinman’s June 18th speech. According to the calendar, which may not be complete, Ripple counsel met with the SEC/ (Hinman?) only once and it was on the same day the speech was made. The calendar does not mention Hinman’s attendance at the YahooFinance All Markets Summit.”

Hinman’s Role in the Ripple Lawsuit and Possible Conflict of Interest   

The former director of the SEC’s Corporation Finance is considered a major player in the ongoing lawsuit between Ripple and the commission. His 2018 speech at the Yahoo Finance All Market Summit, where he declared that Ethereum is not a security, has been largely discussed in the lawsuit.

Following a series of investigations by Ripple and cryptocurrency enthusiasts, the former SEC Corporate Finance director is said to have had a possible conflict of interest while in office.

Before Hinman joined the SEC, he was a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, a member of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA). The company was created to market Ethereum technology to various enterprises.

It is noteworthy that Simpson Thacher paid Hinman over $9 million in profit sharing and retirement bonuses between 2017 and 2018 while he was working at the SEC.

Based on Hinman’s affiliation with Ethereum, it was believed he had worked in the company’s interest, which resulted in the 2018 controversial speech where he declared ETH a non-security.