Bitcoin early investor Roger Ver, known as the “Bitcoin Jesus,” recently gave an interview to renowned American journalist Tucker Carlson, discussing the legal dispute he is currently involved in with the US government and his views on the suppression of the original vision of Bitcoin.
Ver renounced his US citizenship in 2014 and was arrested in Spain in April of this year. US authorities are seeking his extradition on charges of tax evasion, mail fraud, and filing false tax returns. According to the US Department of Justice, Ver failed to report capital gains from the sale of Bitcoin when he renounced his US citizenship in 2014 and undervalued the worth of two companies. Prosecutors allege that Ver concealed owning 131,000 Bitcoins, which were worth nearly $240 million when sold in 2017, resulting in a tax shortfall of $48 million.
However, Ver strongly denies these accusations, believing that the US government’s true dissatisfaction lies not in the alleged tax issues, but rather in his long-standing promotion of using cryptocurrencies to achieve financial autonomy. He believes that cryptocurrencies threaten the government’s control over the monetary system.
Ver has consistently advocated for Bitcoin to function as “peer-to-peer cash” and criticized how the leading cryptocurrency has become a speculative asset. He believes that the early hopes of Bitcoin as a substitute for fiat currency were subverted by intelligence agencies and institutional players.
Ver detailed these claims in his book “Hijacking Bitcoin,” which was published earlier this year. Host Carlson pointed out the ideological shift in cryptocurrencies and mentioned that Bitcoin originally promised freedom and self-control over one’s money, but now it feels different. Carlson expressed his keen interest in understanding how all of this transpired.
During the interview, Ver accused US institutions of attempting to stifle the potential of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. He alleged that intelligence agencies intervened early on to weaken the narrative of Bitcoin as a medium of exchange. Ver claimed that online forums such as early Bitcoin forum bitcointalk.org and the Bitcoin subforum r/bitcoin on Reddit were manipulated through censorship and propaganda, leading Bitcoin astray from its decentralized origins.
When asked if he believes that Bitcoin was originally created by US intelligence agencies, Ver replied:
Despite facing a possible 109-year imprisonment, Ver remains optimistic. He expressed hope that the Spanish court would reject the US extradition request and emphasized the need for public advocacy. He stated, “There are many ways to stop this, but I think the most effective way is for the public to speak up. The more people speak up, the safer we all are.”
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