On March 3, the Wall Street Journal claimed that “Tether Holdings and [a] related crypto broker obscured identities” as evidenced by documents it has obtained.

That article quoted messages from Tether Holdings Ltd. owner Stephen Moore, which suggest that a major China-based Tether trader used false invoices and contacts to obtain bank accounts after being restricted from the global banking system.

Though Tether did not address the specific claims in the article, it responded to the allegations in general by calling the article “wholly inaccurate and misleading.”

The company added that it maintains ongoing compliance programs and works with various enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). It said that it would continue to provide its stablecoin services despite “unfair attacks.”

Tether CTO Paolo Ardoino commented on the matter on Twitter, stating that the report contained a “ton of misinformation and inaccuracies.” He also said that he heard “clown honks” while on stage during a conference and attributed that event to the Wall Street Journal ⁠— presumably meaning that the article’s publication led to audience heckling.