Author: Tom Mitchelhill, CoinTelegraph; Translator: Tao Zhu, Golden Finance
Donald Trump appoints former college football player Bo Hines as the executive director of the newly established 'Crypto Council' in the new government.
The U.S. president-elect stated in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on December 22 that Hines—who was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for the U.S. House in 2022—will serve as the executive director of the Presidential Advisory Council on Crypto Assets.
Trump added that the new advisory group—referred to as the 'Crypto Council'—will be led by the crypto and AI czar David Sacks, whom he personally selected.
"In his new role, Hines will work with David to promote innovation and growth in the crypto asset space while ensuring industry leaders have the resources they need to succeed," Trump wrote.
In 2022, Hines ran as a Republican candidate for a U.S. House seat in North Carolina but lost narrowly to Democratic opponent Wiley Nickel.
Hines and several other Republican candidates received funding from the American Dream Federal Action Super PAC and other pro-crypto political action committees.
Reportedly, former FTX CEO Ryan Salame—currently serving a seven-year sentence for illegal political donations and other offenses—donated $13.4 million to Republican candidates including Hines.
Trump appoints former a16z general partner as senior artificial intelligence advisor
Trump also announced the appointment of former Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) general partner Sriram Krishnan as the senior artificial intelligence policy advisor for the new council.
"I am honored to serve the country and work closely with David Sacks to ensure that America remains a leader in the field of artificial intelligence," Krishnan wrote on X in response to his appointment.
These appointments reflect Trump's ongoing support for the cryptocurrency industry. During his presidential campaign, he promised to make the U.S. the 'crypto capital of the world,' raising millions from cryptocurrency executives.
He appointed other pro-crypto individuals to key advisory roles, including billionaire Elon Musk.
On December 4, Trump nominated pro-crypto businessman and former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins to head the agency, as industry executives hope this move will weaken regulatory actions against the cryptocurrency sector.