At a Senate code hearing today, Sen. John Kennedy derailed the lawsuit with a strange explosion. He accused one witness, Dr. Richard Painter, of being “next level whackjob” a month ago on contributions to the industry campaign.
The tilade was particularly odd as the tweet dealed with a democratic senator. Kennedy himself is a Republican and has not received a significant amount of donation from the industry. Crypto enjoys limited bipartisan support, which may be fragile.
Senate code hearings fall off the rail
Cryptocurrency is now an urgent concern for the US Congress, with key bills moving through the House and Senate.
The House Committee is preparing to consider a series of existing bills, and the Senate Banking Committee has held a hearing with contacts with crypto industry leaders.
But when Republican Sen. John Kennedy began asking questions, Crypto Heard today took a strange turn.
After former White House ethics lawyer Richard W. Painter testified about the imminent law, Sen. Kennedy began burning him about social media posts. The painter created this post in May, but it was not directly related to today’s testimony.
Specifically, the painter’s post is called Beincrypto’s exclusive coverage of the Crypto industry’s political contribution to Senator Gillibrand.
“Do you think Senator Gillibrand is a fraud? Why do you think the crypto industry is buying Senator Gillibrand? Do you want to apologize?” Kennedy asked. When the painter accused him of wasting committee time and asked him to center the debate on the impending law, Kennedy called him “the next level whackjob.”
This rant seems a bit strange given the fierce criticism between Republicans and Democrats. Senator Kennedy’s comments disrupt the hearing and he never disputed that Gilibrand had in fact been contributed to a massive crypto campaign.
Moreover, Kennedy himself did not receive a code donation in his last election.
So why does Senator Kennedy do this? She is not a Republican, even if Gillibrand’s Crypto contributions were related to today’s hearing. If anything, Kennedy should jump at the opportunity to denounce Democrats for political corruption.
The case may indicate the level of bipartisan crypto support in Congress. Several Democrats who testified at today’s hearing worked to oppose the crypto industry loudly and block the imminent law.
As a Crypto Democrat, Sen. Gillibrand has been instrumental in passing several bills.
In other words, the two senators are, broadly speaking, on the same side of the matter.
Additionally, he focused on the painter’s tweet several months ago, moving the hearing away from his actual testimony to cryptography. The Kennedy explosion left the senators framed without dwelling on potential criticism of the industry.
Still, this strange incident may underline a vulnerable situation. While many crypto companies are actively seeking Democrats, Trump’s industry ties are becoming politically responsible for them.
Such cases could be more pressing to blame. If Democrat voters oppose pro-cryptic politicians, it could spell trouble for bipartisan initiatives.
Disclaimer
In compliance with Trust Project guidelines, Beincrypto is committed to reporting without bias and transparent. This news article is intended to provide accurate and timely information. However, we recommend that readers independently verify the facts and consult with experts before making decisions based on this content. Please note that our terms and conditions, privacy policy and disclaimer have been updated.
