Roger Ver has offered US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders $100,000 in the form of a bitcoin donation heâll make in his name to a charity if heâll engage in a debate with Iraq War veteran and talk show host Adam Kokesh.
The offer made in a video posted to Kokeshâs YouTube channel is in response to video posted by the Occupy Democrats in which Sanders talks about wealthy US citizens renouncing their citizenship.
âYour policies are clearly intended to help,â Ver, a bitcoin angel investor and advisor to wallet service Blockchain, said in the video. âBut it seems you donât see how they are backed up by violence.â
In the video, Ver takes issue with the payment of taxes as a means to fund the wars Sanders has widely spoken out against. Ver, who renounced his US citizenship, denounced the idea of patriotism and called on the wealthiest 1% of the US population to stop paying taxes.
In the Bernie Sanders speech, which was edited together with images of US citizens who have purportedly renounced their citizenship â including Ver â the Democratic presidential candidate and Senator from Vermont questions wealthy US citizen who fled to other countries.
âThese great lovers of America who made their money in this country,â Sanders said in a speech used in edited form in the video. âWhen you ask them to start paying their fair share of taxes theyâre running abroad.â
Verâs offer to make a donation in Sandersâs name to a non-governmental entity is a common practice during election season. In Verâs case, Sanders would have to engage in a three-hour debate with Kokesh, who made headlines in 2014 after he received no jail time following controversial drug and gun-related convictions.
Ver said heâll make the donation in bitcoin in Sandersâ name with âsome of the tax money I saved by renouncing my US citizenship.â
Image via YouTube