SEC Officials Pressured Hinman to Clarify Ether's Security Status, Revealed in Unsealed Docs.

Emails released by Ripple in its ongoing defense against an SEC lawsuit reveal that multiple SEC officials provided input on a 2018 speech by former Director of Corporation Finance William Hinman, in which he stated that Ether did not look like a security. The emails show SEC officials deliberating about how clear the speech actually was in expressing a view that Ether was not a security. Ripple's Chief Legal Officer Stu Alderoty tweeted that the emails show Hinman ignored multiple warnings that his speech contained made-up analysis with no basis in law and would create confusion in the market.