(Reuters) - Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization, has called for a federal investigation into whether U.S. President Donald Trump had violated laws around gift solicitation by promoting a meme coin. The organization lodged its complaint with the Department of Justice and the U.S. Office of Government Ethics on Wednesday.

Trump’s meme coin, $TRUMP, and Melania Trump’s coin, $MELANIA, plunged as the news agitated markets worldwide, according to Axios. $TRUMP — unveiled days before his inauguration — saw its value drop by 18% just over the last day. It's now down to $17.50 per token, compared to a peak of $72.62 the day before his swearing-in.

Speculative meme coin funds will test the Securities and Exchange Commission’s boundaries under President Trump.

The US nonprofit watchdog is recommending a termination of TRUMP token sales and a return of funds to investors.

A progressive watchdog group is calling for an investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s promotion of a meme coin violated federal law. In a complaint filed on Wednesday, Public Citizen asked the Department of Justice and the Office of Government Ethics to look into Trump’s repost on X in January of a cryptocurrency coin that