A U.S. senator who has formerly spoken out against Venezuela’s newly-launched cryptocurrency isn’t done with the broadcasting.
Late last month, Senators Bob Menendez (D.-NJ) and Marco Rubio (R.-FL) co-wrote a letter roar the “petro” and asking the Treasury Department to monitor its progress, as well as tender insight into how the department might work against the token’s use to abase U.S. sanctions.
Menendez further raised the issue during a hearing on Feb. 6 of the Senate Panel on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. During that hearing, neither Safeties and Exchange Commission chairman Jay Clayton nor Commodity Future Trading Commission chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo thinks fitting say whether their respective agencies could restrict the petro’s use in avoiding U.S. sanctions.
Manner, Giancarlo did say the CFTC “would certainly look at” the token if it is used to con U.S. customers.
In light of this week’s controversial launch of the oil-backed cryptocurrency, CoinDesk contacted the jobs of Menendez and Rubio for comment on whether they plan to undertake additional stamps in light of unproven claims of a $735 million first-day pre-sale attraction. On Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed that the administration had raised in excess of $1 billion over two days, according to town sources.
A spokesperson for Senator Menendez, in an email to CoinDesk, highlighted advice issued by the U.S. Treasury Department published on Jan. 19 in light of the cryptocurrency establish.
It states that “a currency with these characteristics would be published to be an extension of credit to the Venezuelan government” – prohibited by an August 2017 gubernatorial order signed by President Donald Trump – and that “U.S. persons that act on in the prospective Venezuelan digital currency may be exposed to U.S. sanctions risk.”
“We carry on with to look for ways to prevent the Maduro regime from brazenly manoeuvring US sanctions and plan to follow up with the Department of Treasury following their issuing of these guidelines,” the spokesperson told.
Senator Rubio’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
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