Author: Tom Mitchelhill, CoinTelegraph; Translator: Zhu Tao, Jinse Finance
Former college football player Bo Hines appointed as executive director of the new "Crypto Council" established by former President Donald Trump.
The former US president, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on December 22, stated that Hines - the unsuccessful 2022 Republican candidate for the US House of Representatives - will become the executive director of the President's Crypto Asset Advisory Council.
Trump added that the new advisory group, dubbed the "Crypto Council", will be led by crypto and AI czar David Sacks, who was handpicked by him.
"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 US House seat in North Carolina, but narrowly lost to Democratic challenger Wiley Nickel.
Hines and several other Republican candidates were backed by funding from the American Dream Federal Action super PAC and other pro-crypto political action committees.
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who is currently serving a 7-year sentence for illegal political donations among other crimes, reportedly donated $13.4 million to Republican candidates including Hines.
Trump Appoints Former a16z General Partner as Senior AI Advisor
Trump also announced the appointment of former Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) general partner Sriram Krishnan as the new council's senior AI policy advisor.
"I'm honored to serve the country and work closely with David Sacks to ensure America continues to lead in AI," Krishnan wrote in a response to his appointment on X.
These appointments reflect Trump's continued support for the cryptocurrency industry. During his presidential campaign, he promised to make America the "crypto capital of the world" and raised millions from crypto industry executives.
He has appointed other crypto-friendly individuals to key advisory roles, including billionaire Elon Musk.
On December 4, Trump nominated crypto-supportive businessman and former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins to chair the agency, a move industry executives hope will curb the regulator's enforcement actions against the crypto industry.
