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International Business Times
International Business Times
Business
Marvie Basilan

John Deaton: Rising Warren Rival Gets Community Nod Amid Growing Defiance To 'Anti-Crypto Army'

John Deaton Elizabeth Warren Crypto Cameron Winklevoss James Murphy Tyler Winklevoss Alex Cobb Bitcoin Coinbase Ripple
John Deaton is becoming more and more popular in the crypto space as crypto voters learn about his past work with $XRP holders and his fight to unseat "anti-crypto" Sen. Elizabeth Warren. (Credit: Deaton Campaign Video/Screenshot)

KEY POINTS

  • Deaton recently filed to appear as counsel for Coinbase customers in a case filed by the SEC
  • The trial lawyer revealed this week that Warren is asking for support after learning Deaton received backing from crypto figures
  • A growing number of crypto voters have expressed support for Deaton, including the Winklevoss twins

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has held her seat for more than a decade, becoming a prominent voice in the Democratic Party's liberal wing and pioneering the political movement on cryptocurrency regulation. As she runs for her third Senate term, trial attorney John Deaton is on a mission toward unseating the veteran policymaker, who has signaled efforts to build an "anti-crypto army."

Deep roots in crypto

Deaton is known largely by the $XRP community after he filed in 2021 to represent thousands of $XRP owners in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) case against digital asset giant Ripple. At the time, he challenged the Wall Street regulator's claim that the token was a security.

Just this year, he once again offered a hand to the crypto community, this time in the SEC's case against crypto exchange titan Coinbase. He filed in March to appear as counsel for over 4,000 Coinbase customers about a month after a judge rejected the exchange's motion to dismiss the SEC's complaint.

Warren, on the other hand, has been building an "anti-crypto army."

Warren concerned over rising 'crypto lawyer'?

On Wednesday, Deaton took to X to reveal that Warren sent out a text message that stated: "It's Elizabeth Warren. We recently found that a Super PAC supporting my Republican opponent (a crypto lawyer from Rhode Island recruited to run against me) raked in $2 million from three massive donations – from two crypto billionaires and one big crypto firm. It's absolutely critical we respond to this Super PAC's fundraising with a strong surge of support."

Warren has yet to deny or confirm whether she indeed sent the text message.

Deaton went on to clarify that the "only time" he was recruited to do anything in his state was "to serve my country" in the U.S. Marine Corps. He went on to urge the crypto community to help him "keep the pressure" on Warren. "She's worried for a reason and desperately trying to outraise me," he added.

Crypto advocates detect Warren's 'alarm'

The crypto industry is picking up Warren's purported concerns over Deaton's rise, especially among crypto voters. Prominent financial services lawyer James Murphy, aka MetaLawMan, said the Democratic senator "is alarmed that people who she has been attacking with her anti-crypto army are now defending themselves."

Criminal defense lawyer and crypto advocate @DeFiDefenseLaw said he was looking forward to calling Deaton "senator" soon.

Well-followed $XRP holder Alex Cobb said Warren is now "trembling" and is using the "rich buddies" argument against Deaton to get more support for her re-election bid.

Deaton gets pro-crypto backing

The founder of the On The Chain podcast, @stephenchip, made a song dedicated to Deaton, whom Stephen believes is the "unstoppable candidate who will triumph over Elizabeth Warren."

Last month, Gemini exchange co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss each donated $500,000 in Bitcoin to Deaton's campaign. Tyler said Warren is "public enemy number one" in the crypto space, and Deaton is "the only candidate" who can unseat Warren.

Federal Election Commission (FEC) records showed that the Commonwealth Unity Fund super PAC designated $450,000 to the Deaton campaign and allocated $500,000 in a media buy for the lawyer's ad-related efforts this month.

Ripple was reported to have donated $1 million to the said super PAC in July to help push Deaton's campaign forward.

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