Harris campaign seeks relationship reboot with crypto leaders, Ro Khanna to host virtual event

U.S. Representative Ro Khanna is set to host a roundtable discussion between representatives from Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign and cryptocurrency “industry leaders” on Aug. 5.

According to Fox News reporter Eleanor Terrett, the event signifies a “renewed push” to “establish a fresh start with the industry.”

Bloomberg also reported that the roundtable will feature prominent figures from Harris’s election campaign. 

One notable potential attendee is outgoing senior White House adviser Anita Dunn, who became the first member of President Joe Biden’s inner circle to announce her exit from the administration.

Dunn announced she is shifting her focus to advising the largest pro-Harris super PAC, poised to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in support of Harris’s campaign leading up to Election Day on Nov. 5.

Other White House representatives expected to attend the discussions are Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed, and National Economic Adviser Lael Brainard.

It’s the latest attempt from Democrats to reshape how crypto enthusiasts perceive the party under the Biden administration. The general sentiment from the crypto community was that Democrats introduced policies that nerfed the industry.

Today, it’s a different scenario. Crypto expert David Plouffe, who previously worked for former President Barack Obama, is reportedly advising Harris.

Plouffe’s leadership roles in crypto include being a member of the Binance Global Advisory Board and as a global strategic advisor to Alchemy Pay.

The White House has never explicitly stated that it was anti-crypto. Through a 2022 executive order, the Biden administration urged those in the industry to harness digital assets and their underlying technology responsibly. The order came just months after the May crash of Terra-Luna, which wiped out over $600 billion of investor and consumer funds.

Meanwhile, Republicans — namely GOP nominee Donald Trump — have been actively using Bitcoin and other digital assets as a talking point to curry favor with the cryptocurrency industry.

Trump has even threatened to fire U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler if elected.

Democratic leaders, including former White House executive Moe Vela, have clapped back at the GOP’s pro-crypto stance, citing it as insincere political pandering.