Benzinga | Dec 7, 2021 06:54AM EST

Does Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Own Any Bitcoin Or Other Crypto? Here's What She Has To Say

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Dem-N.Y.) said she does not hold any digital assets and currencies such as Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC).

What Happened: The Congresswoman made the revelation in an ask me anything session over Instagram while she was "stuck at the airport."

Ocasio-Cortez said she does not believe members of Congress should "hold/trade individual stocks."

"I choose not to hold any so I can remain impartial about policy making," said Ocasio-Cortez. She said that this is because members of Congress have access to "sensitive information and upcoming policy."

Ocasio-Cortez extends the same policy to digital assets and currencies and especially Bitcoin because she sits on the Financial Services Committee.

"So the answer is no [Bitcoin] I want to do my job as ethically and impartially as I can."

See Also: How To Buy Bitcoin (BTC)

Why It Matters: Ocasio-Cortez holds the distinction of being the youngest woman to serve in Congress. She is s known for the Green New Deal resolution, which seeks to address the economic, racial, social, and climate crisis affecting the United States.

Bitcoin mining is energy-intensive and is often criticized by environmentalists. This summer, Elon Musk-led Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) suspended Bitcoin payments citing such concerns. Notably, Musk is a well-known Bitcoin and Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) bull.

This Wednesday, six CEOs of cryptocurrency firms have been called in front of the Financial Services Committee by Rep. Maxine Waters (Dem-Calif.).

The CEOs are Jeremy Allaire of Circle, Samuel Bankman-Fried of FTX, Brian P. Brooks of Bitfury Group, Charles Cascarilla of Paxos Trust Company, Denelle Dixon of Stellar Development Foundation, and Alesia Jeanne Haas of Coinbase Global Inc (NASDAQ:COIN).

The hearing takes place at a time when hackers have stolen over $200 million of Shiba Inu, Saitama and other tokens from Bitmart Exchange.

Price Action: At press time, Bitcoin rose 3.54% higher at $50,909.32 over 24 hours.

Read Next: India Won't Ban Cryptocurrency, Will Regulate It As New Asset Class

Photo: Courtesy of NRKBeta via Wikimedia