Kamala Harris is quietly changing her crypto position
In the wake of President Joe Biden opting out of a re-election bid, Vice President Kamala Harris has thrown her hat into the ring for the presidency, yet her views on cryptocurrency remain somewhat of an enigma. However, recent strategic appointments may signal a leaning towards a friendlier stance on digital currencies.
Harris has roped in David Plouffe, an ex-aide to Obama and former consultant for the Binance Global Advisory Board, as her chief adviser for strategy.
Prior to joining Harris's camp, Plouffe made significant contributions to Alchemy Pay in areas such as strategy development, regulatory compliance, and liaising with government bodies, up until his shift to Harris’s team last week.
Furthermore, Harris has brought on board Brian Nelson, who formerly served as the U.S. Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, per an Axios report last month.
Despite Nelson's past involvement in regulatory actions against Binance for purported misdemeanors including money laundering and sanctions breaches last November, his approach towards the digital currency sector has been seen as balanced and conducive to regulating malpractices without hampering innovative progress.
He has maintained an unbiased stance on crypto, with his policy squad making considerable efforts to collaborate with the sector. While he's vigilant about its misuse for illegal financial transactions, he hasn’t branded crypto as inherently bad like some have.
Recently, Harris passed on an opportunity to speak at the Bitcoin Conference, a decision some have interpreted as her hesitancy to fully embrace or prioritize cryptographic assets as a component of her policy platform in the run-up to the November elections.
Nevertheless, these strategic appointments suggest Harris is open to dialogues with the cryptocurrency sector, even as speculations abound about her exact position on this class of assets.
In other related developments, Harris has announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her choice for Vice President.
Although Walz has not made public his opinions on cryptocurrency, he recently signed legislation imposing a $2,000 daily transaction ceiling for new clients of crypto ATMs within the state.