Edward Snowden warns bitcoin industry not to trust vote-seeking politicians

In recent years, bitcoin conferences have attracted politicians ranging from Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to Vivek Ramaswamy. Presidential candidate Donald J. Trump’s decision to hold fundraisers at the annual Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, this year has also garnered more attention ahead of the November 2024 elections.

Speaking from Russia at the conference, exiled NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden issued a stern warning this weekend about the recent rise in politicians’ involvement in the cryptocurrency space.

“I notice we have a lot more political representation here,” Snowden said, before offering a skeptical opinion about their true purpose. “They fight us, then they try to convince us to love them.”

“Vote but don’t join a cult,” he warned. “They are not our tribe. They are not your identity. They have their own interests. Even if you have to vote for them, don’t give yourself to them.”

Snowden was undoubtedly referring to Trump’s appearance at the conference, where the presidential candidate vowed to fire Gary Gensler, the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, to thunderous applause. Gensler has drawn the ire of the industry for his big push against crypto companies and so-called “regulation by force.” The SEC is currently involved in legal battles with multiple crypto companies, including Coinbase, America’s largest regulated crypto exchange, Kraken, and others.

Snowden also warned bitcoiners at the crypto conference to recognize that the fundamental power structures in the U.S. are unlikely to change even under a new administration. “From the average worker’s perspective, whether we’re talking about this election or any election in the last 20 years, a given election often feels like the same cop with a different uniform,” Snowden said. “And that’s a problem.”

“Look at the economy. There’s a concentration of resources in fewer and fewer hands,” Snowden added. “You either play by their rules or you don’t play at all, and that has to change.”