Deniz 
During an interview onstage at the Bitcoin 2024 conference, Wiley Nickel, a moderate Democrat serving his first term as the representative for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional district, said he and other party members have written a letter to party leaders calling for more pro-crypto language on the platform.
“This is a letter with 28 Democratic electeds, including 14 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Ro (Khanna, D-CA), asking for four things from the DNC and the next democratic nominee for President: [pro-digital asset] language in the party’s platform, selecting a Vice Presidential candidate sophisticated in digital asset policy, selecting a pro-innovation SEC chair, and engaging with the industry in a meaningful way,” Nickel said.
Mostly on the stage advocating a bipartisan approach to crypto issues, Nickel spent much of his time with moderator Jason Maier, author of A Progressive’s Case for Bitcoin, likely hoping to win votes from crypto owners who see the Republican party’s platform as more pro-crypto, especially following Donald Trump’s choice of Senator JD Vance as his running mate.
“We have been working hard behind the scenes, attending senior-level meetings with individuals in the Office of the Vice President, with the campaign, to provide a reset. Vice President Harris is aware of this; her husband is someone I know who also gets it; and I believe we will witness a reset, which will be quite significant in this regard,” Nickel said. “If we politicize the issue, we will just poison the well for ten years in Congress; the future has to be a bipartisan one.”
Regarding Trump personally, Nickel had made critical remarks about his earlier anti-Bitcoin posture.
“He covers all the negative talking points. In 2021, he termed it a swindle, saying [cryptocurrency] enables criminal operations such as drugs and narcotics,” Nickel remarked, to progressively loud booing from the audience. “Folks, I can tell you one thing, and I want to say this as politely and respectfully as I can: Donald Trump was President for four years; he did nothing on this issue, and right now I can tell you he’s totally full of s–t,” Nickel stated.
Maier answered, “That’s quite brave of you,” to the audience’s laughter. Maier said, to a more positive audience response, “Donald Trump, like every other politician, is allowed to change his mind on this, and you all need to remember exactly what’s happening.”
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