Author: Tom Mitchelhill, CoinTelegraph; Translated by: Tao Zhu, Jinse Finance
Donald Trump appointed former college football player Bo Hines as the executive director of the newly established 'Crypto Council' in the new administration.
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 become 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 his chosen crypto and AI czar David Sacks.
"In his new role, Hines will work with David to promote innovation and growth in the crypto assets space while ensuring that industry leaders have the resources they need to succeed," Trump wrote.
In 2022, Hines ran for the U.S. House seat in North Carolina as a Republican candidate but narrowly lost to Democratic opponent Wiley Nickel.
Hines and several other Republican candidates received funding from the American Dream Federal Action Super PAC and other PACs supporting crypto.
It was reported that former FTX CEO Ryan Salame—currently serving a seven-year sentence for illegal political donations and other crimes—donated $13.4 million to Republican candidates including Hines.
Trump appointed former a16z general partner as senior advisor on artificial intelligence.
Trump also announced the appointment of former Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) general partner Sriram Krishnan as senior policy advisor on artificial intelligence for the new council.
"I am honored to serve the country and to 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 America the 'crypto capital of the world,' raising millions from executives in the cryptocurrency industry for this purpose.
He appointed other crypto supporters to key advisory positions, including billionaire Elon Musk.
On December 4, Trump nominated crypto-supporting businessman and former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins to serve as the chair of the agency, as industry executives hope this move will weaken regulatory enforcement actions against the cryptocurrency industry.