Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Salon
Salon
Politics
Brad Reed

"Q" candidate's Bitcoin fundraising ploy

A visual representation of a Bitcoin cryptocurrency as a gold coin on a computer keyboard. Getty Images

Ron Watkins, the longtime QAnon influencer who is now running for Congress in Arizona, has set up a fundraising operation that relies on cryptocurrency -- but one reporter thinks that Watkins may be running afoul of the law.

The Informant's Nick Martin writes on Twitter that Watkins this week started soliciting "no more than $2,000 worth of Bitcoin" in donations from his supporters.

As Martin writes, this is a legally dicey proposition.


Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.


"What he doesn't say is that the FEC prohibits anyone from donating more than $100 to a campaign when using Bitcoin," he explains, while adding that $2,000 in Bitcoin donations would be "20 times the FEC limit."

Watkins announced his campaign back in October with a bizarre video in which he invoked God in his decision to run while also doubling down on bogus conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election.

RELATED: Ron Watkins, who many speculate might be QAnon, eyes congressional run in Arizona

"I also want to emphasize that we must stay vigilant and keep up the pressure — both here in Arizona and throughout the country — to indict any and all criminals who have facilitated election fraud," Watkins said. "President Trump had his election stolen, not just in Arizona, but in other states, too."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.