Share this article
US Senate Hearing Will Look at Crypto's Impact on Elections
The U.S. policymakers will look into potential risks that digital currencies could pose to the American democracy.
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 8:05 a.m. Published Jun 22, 2018, 5:10 p.m.
The U.S. Senate is looking to assess the impact of cryptocurrencies on American elections.
The Senate's Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism will host a hearing titled "Protecting Our Elections: Examining Shell Companies and Virtual Currencies as Avenues for Foreign Interference" on June 26, according to a scheduled posted on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary's website.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham will oversee the hearing. Other details about the hearing – including a list of witnesses – have yet to be released.
The Federal Election Commission ruled in 2014 that political campaigns and political action committees may accept bitcoin as a donation under existing federal law. The FEC treats cryptocurrency contributions as "in-kind donations" similar to stocks, bonds and other assets, as previously reported by CoinDesk. However, there are strict limits on the amount that can be donated.
It's possible that the hearing will see a debate about donors contributing cryptocurrencies to campaigns in the U.S. Brian Forde, a former senior advisor at the Obama administration who ran for Congress, raised approximately $200,000 through cryptocurrencies, with more than $5,000 from his own wallet, as Politico reported in May.
Perhaps the most high-profile example came amid the 2016 presidential election when U.S. Senator and then-presidential candidate Rand Paul started accepting bitcoin donations.
Congress image via Shutterstock
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
DOT Sinks 2% After Breaking Key Support
The Polkadot token erased earlier gains amid elevated volume, falling from a high of $2.09 to $1.97.
What to know:
- DOT collapsed through ascending trendline support around the $2.05 level on a massive 284% volume surge.
- The token broke decisively below the support level to trade 2% lower over the last 24 hours.
Top Stories
