Bitcoin can accomplish nothing and must be banned, according to US Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) – but the crypto community is having none of it. On Twitter, a campaign that gained huge popularity accused the congressman of conflict of interest, double standards, and lack of knowledge.
During a hearing before the US House Committee on Financial Services on Monday, Sherman said there is little Bitcoin has to offer that cannot be accomplished with traditional fiat money. However, this quickly attracted criticism from crypto experts and enthusiasts alike, including from Dr. Norbert J. Michel, who testified before the committee at the same hearing.
In the span of a few hours, numerous Twitter members directly addressed Rep. Sherman, claiming he has ulterior motives, and calling him out for receiving donations from organizations convicted of illegal gambling.
Twitter user @TheCryptoDog, was among the first to address Sherman’s remarks, saying:
“[Brad Sherman] was so concerned about crypto users using cryptocurrencies for deceptive and illegal financial activity, yet his top campaign donation came from a company that had to forfeit $13.3 million to the US Government for facilitating illegal gambling.”
As of the writing of this article, Crypto Dog’s tweet has been retweeted 1,400 times, with over 180 replies. Other users soon joined the conversation with tweets of their own.
https://twitter.com/TraceMayer/status/1019681648823160832
https://twitter.com/APompliano/status/1019695791299088386
https://twitter.com/BlockParty_IO/status/1020116698534473729
https://twitter.com/sublimechain/status/1019926437833396224
According to statistics from Keyhole, mentions of the congressman’s Twitter handle @BradSherman skyrocketed after the hearing, reaching almost 20 million accounts. Although this is the second time this week Rep. Sherman’s account has attracted such attention, mentions of his handle prior to June 14 were practically nonexistent.
Rep. Sherman revealed he was aware of the campaign, sending a private message to some of the people who tweeted at him, telling them to “stop”.
This isn’t the first time Rep. Sherman has attracted the wrath of the crypto community. In March, a Reddit user found out the biggest donor to the congressman’s campaign was Allied Wallet, an e-commerce payment processing service, after Sherman called Bitcoin a ‘Crock’.
“[Cryptocurrencies] allow a few dozen men in my district to sit in their pajamas on the couch all day and tell their wives they’re going to be millionaires,” said the congressman at the time.
This article appeared first on Cryptovest