Recently, we witnessed the incoming president of the United States issue his own cryptocurrency before his inauguration. Not to be outdone, the incoming first lady issued her own cryptocurrency within forty-eight hours of her husband. In the wake of these cryptocurrency issuances, questions have been raised about the transparency attached to who purchases the cryptocurrencies and whether the purchases might be used to influence official Presidential actions.
What do “Trumpcoin” and “Melaniacoin” have to do with Virginia? Let me explain.
Virginia’s Conflict of Interests Act states that our system of representative government is dependent upon legislators representing the public “fully” in order to ensure “its citizens maintaining the highest trust in their public officers.” A component of cementing that trust is for citizens to know what private interests a lawmaker has when they consider…
