Ripple’s Brad Garlinghouse And Mark Cuban To Discuss Crypto At High-Stakes Biden Roundtable This Week

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who represents the United States’s richest district in California’s Silicon Valley, is gearing up to host an exclusive crypto roundtable in Washington this week, Fox Business journalist Eleanor Terrett reiterated in a recent post on the Twitter (aka X) platform.

The primary objective of the roundtable is to support innovations in Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem within the nation.

Historic Bitcoin Roundtable In Washington

Democrat Ro Khanna wants to protect the crypto sector from a potential Donald Trump takeover. As such, he is set to host a Bitcoin roundtable this Wednesday.

Several well-known industry figures, including billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci, former CFTC Chair Chris Giancarlo, and execs from Coinbase, Kraken, Circle, Andreessen Horowitz, will attend the much-hyped event, Terrett noted.

Mark Cuban is an outspoken advocate for crypto and the crypto industry. He believes the current Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) captain, Gary Gensler, could cost President Joe Biden his office in the November 2024 election due to Gensler’s anti-crypto stance. The SEC notably launched an aggressive crackdown, bringing lawsuits and criminal charges against some of the industry’s leading figures. Furthermore, Biden’s recent veto of a resolution intended to clip the SEC’s wings on crypto accounting policies furthers his anti-crypto agenda.

Some of the SEC’s more recent actions, including dropping their investigation aimed at categorizing Ethereum’s ETH token as an unregistered security, seemed to add credence to speculation that President Joe Biden has belatedly acknowledged the significance of crypto voters to his reelection chances in November. 

Khanna seeks to boost ties with the crypto industry and lure crypto voters. The congressman has a history of supporting crypto-friendly legislation, like the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, better known as FIT21.

Biden Officials Slated To Attend

Crypto could play a key role in the upcoming U.S. presidential elections, as both Trump and Biden are neck and neck, as per the polls. A pro-crypto candidate, therefore, could have an edge over an anti-crypto candidate.

While the ex-POTUS once said Bitcoin “seems like a scam” and has repeatedly criticized the tech industry, he has made several supportive comments about crypto in recent months, promising to end “Biden’s war on crypto.”

The roundtable will also feature Biden administration officials and other lawmakers from the House and Senate. There are unconfirmed reports about the attendance of White House officials, including Biden’s Chief of Staff, Jeff Zients, and pro-crypto White House advisor Carole Hause.

Congressman Khanna’s forthcoming roundtable could mark a pivotal moment for the crypto industry in the US. The roundtable, which will bring together policymakers and industry executives, aims to foster a collaborative environment to promote innovation and development.