Despite
rumors
circulating
that
the
Democratic
frontrunner
for
the
US
Presidential
Election
2024,
Kamala
Harris,
will
be
speaking
at
the
Bitcoin
Conference
in
Nashville
this
week,
David
Bailey
has
confirmed
that
she
will
not
attend.
David
Bailey,
CEO
of
BTC
Inc.
and
organizer
of
The
Bitcoin
Conference,
confirmed
this
decision
comes
amid
ongoing
discussions
about
the
Democratic
Party’s
stance
on
Bitcoin,
crypto,
and
blockchain
technology.
As
Bailey
reported
on
Twitter,
his
team
had
been
in
talks
with
Harris’
campaign
about
a
potential
appearance
at
the
conference.
However,
he
later
announced
that
Harris
would
not
participate,
stating
it
was
“no
surprise.”
Bailey
suggested
that
Harris’
absence
may
be
due
to
the
current
administration’s
approach
to
crypto
regulation,
which
has
been
perceived
as
hostile
by
many
in
the
industry.
The
Bitcoin
Conference
organizer
also
raised
the
issue
of
Ross
Ulbricht’s
imprisonment
as
a
potential
stumbling
block
for
Harris’
engagement
with
the
crypto
community.
Ulbricht,
the
founder
of
the
Silk
Road
darknet
market,
is
currently
serving
a
life
sentence
without
the
possibility
of
parole.
He
noted,
“What
can
she
say
to
us
when
she’s
actively
imprisoning
developers,
forcing
our
industry
overseas,
attacking
PoW…
it
would
have
been
a
disaster
for
her.”
For
transparency,
Ulbricht
was
not
imprisoned
under
Biden;
he
was
sentenced
in
2015
when
Barrack
Obama
was
President.
He
appealed
his
sentence
twice
in
2017
under
Donald
Trump.
In
2018,
the
Supreme
Court
declined
to
hear
his
case.
Bailey
argued
that
commuting
Ulbricht’s
sentence
should
be
considered
“table
stakes”
for
any
politician
seeking
to
address
the
Bitcoin
community.
“I
gotta
be
honest,
feels
like
Kamala
should
commute
Ross
Ulbricht’s
sentence
before
addressing
the
Bitcoin
community.
That’s
the
tables
stakes.”
Although
Harris
is
currently
the
Vice
President
and
would
be
unable
to
commute
Ulbricht’s
sentence
personally,
Bailey
appeared
to
be
giving
an
ultimatum
regarding
a
possible
invitation.
It
is
unclear
at
this
time
whether
this
was
the
reason
for
Harris
not
attending
the
conference
or
if
she
declined
outright.
CryptoSlate
has
contacted
Bailey
for
confirmation
but
has
not
responded
until
press
time.
Bailey
pointed
out
that
former
President
Donald
Trump
and
independent
presidential
candidate
Robert
F.
Kennedy
Jr.
have
pledged
to
commute
Ulbricht’s
sentence
if
elected.
This
commitment
has
been
well-received
by
many
in
crypto.
Donald
Trump
did
not
commute
Ulbricht’s
sentence
during
his
first
term
via
Presidential
pardon
but
has
stated
he
will
do
so
this
time
if
elected.
The
discussion
around
Harris’
potential
appearance
at
The
Bitcoin
Conference
comes
at
a
time
when
crypto
regulation
and
adoption
are
becoming
increasingly
important
political
issues,
with
14%
of
US
citizens
holding
Bitcoin.
Harris’s
stance
on
digital
assets
remains
largely
unknown,
leading
to
speculation
about
whether
a
Harris
administration
would
continue
the
Biden
administration’s
approach
or
adopt
a
more
crypto-friendly
position.
Meanwhile,
other
presidential
candidates
have
been
more
vocal
in
supporting
cryptocurrencies.
Robert
F.
Kennedy
Jr.
proposed
integrating
Bitcoin
into
US
debt
management
strategies
and
owns
over
$1
million
worth
of
Bitcoin.
Similarly,
the
Trump
campaign
recently
began
accepting
donations
for
various
cryptocurrencies,
including
Bitcoin
and
Ethereum.
There
are
also
rumors
that
he
would
declare
Bitcoin
a
strategic
reserve
asset,
although
any
president
would
require
Congress’s
approval.
With
Harris’
absence
from
The
Bitcoin
Conference,
attention
now
turns
back
to
Trump
and
his
direct
address
to
a
Bitcoin
audience.
Mentioned
in
this
article
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Author: Liam ‘Akiba’ Wright
