Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, confirmed that he owns a considerable amount of Bitcoin—after saying he didn’t, and after the crypto was initially atrributed to his wife. Even so, it’s not a conflict of interest, according to his campaign.
Kennedy praised Bitcoin during a keynote address at Bitcoin 2023 in Miami in May, and said the network should be nurtured and protected. He also said that his campaign would accept donations in Bitcoin. But he also told conference-goers he was not an investor in Bitcoin, and that his endorsement of the asset did not amount to investment advice.
However, a financial disclosure obtained by CNBC shows Kennedy’s family holds between $100,001 and $250,000 worth of Bitcoin in a brokerage account as of June 30. The filing, which does not state when the investment took place, says Kennedy’s family’s income from the purchase is less than $201.
Kennedy’s campaign manager, Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, told CNBC that a conflict of interest does not exist, and the purchase took place after Kennedy’s positive remarks regarding Bitcoin in Miami.
Following the report’s release, Kennedy’s campaign first told CNBC the Bitcoin belonged to Kennedy’s wife Cheryl Hines, who is known for her work on the television show “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” A representative from Kennedy’s campaign later said that they were mistaken, and that the Bitcoin investment did indeed belong to Kennedy.
On the Democratic side of the aisle, Kennedy has been a robust supporter of Bitcoin among candidates, while Republican hopefuls like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy have also tried to court the Bitcoin vote.
While Kennedy’s comments on Bitcoin have become less frequent since Miami—the topic never came up during his extensive one-on-one with Twitter owner Elon Musk last month—Kennedy has continued to tweet his support of crypto’s oldest coin, on occasion.
“Bitcoin is not only a bulwark against totalitarianism and the manipulation of our money supply, it points the way toward a future in which government institutions are more transparent and more democratic,” he said on June 27.
Kennedy has attracted support from some prominent members of the crypto community, including Block CEO Jack Dorsey, who said last month Kennedy “can and will” beat DeSantis or Donald Trump at the ballot box.
In order for that to happen, Kennedy would need to win against President Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential primaries first. A recent poll from Echelon Insights shows 65% of voters would stick with Biden as opposed to 14% who would pick Kennedy.
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