Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren backed recent comments on bitcoin by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during an interview with CNBCâs Squawk Box on Tuesday.
Asked if she agreed with comments saying the cryptocurrency was a âspeculativeâ asset made by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen late in February, the Senator said, somewhat coyly: âI think Janetâs a really smart woman.â
When pressed, she said, ââSpeculative in nature and going to end badlyâ â I donât think Janet left a lot of room for ambiguity.â
CNBCâs host also clarified that Yellen had actually said bitcoin could âend badly for some.â
The topic of bitcoin was brought up as a potential potential problem for a new âwealth taxâ â proposed by Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders on Monday â that would see rich individuals charged 2% annually on their net worth above $50 million and 3% above $1 billion.
Yellen has been an outspoken critic of cryptocurrencies, calling them a âgrowing problemâ and citing their use in illegal activity such as the drugs trade and terrorist funding. However, sheâs also said that cryptocurrencies have the potential to âimprove the efficiency of the financial system.â
See also: Bitcoinâs Rise Should Make Regulators Ask if the Fedâs Policies Have a Hand in It: WaPo