A recent comment from Coinbase Chief Financial Officer Alesia Haas sparked confusion about Vice President Kamala Harris accepting crypto donations for her campaign. During a Citigroup event, Haas stated that Harris is “accepting donations” using Coinbase Commerce.
However, a Coinbase spokesperson clarified the misunderstanding. Haas was actually referring to the Future Forward USA PAC, not Harris’ campaign directly. According to Fortune, Future Forward, a PAC supporting Harris, is now onboarded with Coinbase Commerce to accept crypto donations.
While Harris’ official campaign website doesn’t list crypto as an option for donations, this development with the Future Forward PAC could indicate a potential shift in Democrats’ approach to crypto.
So far, the Biden administration has faced criticism from the crypto industry, being seen as anti-crypto. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, Harris’ likely opponent in the upcoming election, has actively courted support from crypto fans and companies.
Coinbase is in touch with both, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris for the development of their crypto policies. Former President Trump promises to replace SEC Chairman Gary Gensler on the first day and form a Bitcoin and Crypto Advisory Council.
According to Coinbase’s Chief Legal Officer, both Trump’s and Harris’s campaigns are engaging with crypto policies, with Trump offering more explicit and embracing concrete proposals while Harris is showing interest in a new approach for crypto.
Future Forward is a hybrid PAC, first used for President Biden, allowing it to contribute directly to the campaign or fund independent ads not coordinated with Harris’ team. Advocacy group Crypto4Harris also noted that they were unaware of any direct crypto involvement in Harris’ campaign.
This move could be a sign that some Democrats are warming up to the idea of cryptocurrency, even if it’s still in the early days of direct campaign integration.
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