Member of the US House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District, Tulsi Gabbard, has become the second congresswoman to disclose investments in cryptocurrencies.
In December 2017, she invested in Ethereum and Litecoin, with the digital market soaring to an all-time high at the time and then plummeting into a downward spiral. The amount of both investments is not specified, but ranges from $1 thousand to $15 thousand.
Gabbard's financial return was filed on August 14, about eight months after Bitcoin hit its all-time high. Since then, the first cryptocurrency has fallen, pulling other crypto coins with it. The lowest price in December for Ethereum was $414 and Litecoin was $83 according to Coinmarketcap.com. On August 14, the digital coins reached $278 and $54.56, respectively. Thus, it is difficult to call the congressman's investment portfolio successful.
Gabbard's unexpected ownership of Ethereum and Litecoin adds intrigue to her recent ascent to the American political arena. Tulsi Gabbard herself has been repeatedly called a "rising star" in US politics and an influential, loud voice in the Democratic Party.
The Hawaii congresswoman began to gain popularity in political circles when she resigned from the Democratic National Committee in February 2016. The politician representing Hawaii is the first Hindu member of Congress in US history, and also holds the rank of major in the US National Guard and is a combat veteran of Iraq. Now her open ownership of ETH and LTC and thus the recognition of cryptocurrency in the first place makes it possible to talk about some degree of legalization of crypto assets on Capitol Hill.
Her future in the political arena in the United States and her official position regarding issues of regulation of the crypto industry remains to be seen. However, as one of the youngest members of Congress, Gabbard appears determined to be more open to innovation than some of her conservative colleagues.
After the US Office of Government Ethics (OGE) obliged government employees to disclose financial information about digital currency savings, it became clear that other legislators also support the crypto trend.. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte owns between $17,000 and $80,000 in Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Ethereum, according to Virginia's annual financial statements.
Note that Ukrainian lawmakers are much more willing to invest large sums in cryptocurrency. However, it is still unclear whether this is an additional income for people’s representatives or is it a way to officially show the amount of kickbacks and bribes.
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