Crypto exchange Coinbase has fought back on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s motion to block “reasonable discovery” from Gary Gensler, the agency’s chair, in the company’s ongoing legal battle with the SEC.

“We have responded to SEC’s effort to block reasonable discovery from Mr. Gensler in a case that it — not Coinbase — chose to file. Democracy, as well as due process, dies in darkness. We appreciate the Court’s careful consideration of this matter,” Paul Grewal, chief legal officer of Coinbase, wrote in a post on X today.

In a letter filed on Wednesday to U.S. District Judge Katherine Failla, Coinbase’s lawyer said that the discovery sought from Gensler is relevant. “Mr. Gensler’s communications regarding the regulatory status of digital assets and exchanges during his tenure …