Who?
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) — Ranking Member, House Financial Services Committee
LISTEN: Laslo & Waters
Ask a Pol asks:
What’d you make of those three crypto measures — GENIUS Act, Anti-CBDC and CLARITY Act — passing out of the House of Representatives in July?
Key Waters:
“There were too many crypto bills — three — and they had the votes,” Rep. Maxine Waters exclusively told Ask a Pol. “The crypto industry has done extraordinarily well with targeting members and getting the support that they need for their bills.
“Unfortunately, I needed to have more guardrails on the bills and more education to the members so that they could understand what crypto is all about. We did the best job that we could do. Unfortunately, between the industry and President Trump, there was a lot of support which influenced members to vote for the bill.”
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Caught our ear:
“The president is in crypto. Melania is in crypto. His boys, his sons are in crypto. They're there to make money, and so far we see that they are doing that,” Waters tells us.
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Maxine Waters (7-23-2025)
SCENE: Ahead of one of the last votes in the US House until this fall, Finance Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters was making her way to the Capitol via an underground tunnel when Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo proceeded to join her.
Matt Laslo: “Hey, how are you, ma'am?”
Maxine Waters: “Well.”
ML: “I haven’t talked to you since last week — what’d you make of those three crypto measures moving?”
ICYMI —
MW: “I'm sorry. Who am I talking to?”
ML: “Matt Laslo, WIRED magazine contributor.”
MW: “I can't hear you.”
ML: “Matt Laslo, WIRED magazine contributor, Raw Story, Rolling Stone…”
MW: “I see. Now, there were too many crypto bills — three — and they had the votes. The crypto industry has done extraordinarily well with targeting members and getting the support that they need for their bills. Unfortunately, I needed to have more guardrails on the bills and more education to the members so that they could understand what crypto is all about. We did the best job that we could do. Unfortunately, between the industry and President Trump, there was a lot of support which influenced members to vote for the bill.”
ML: “Is the president's meme coins? Is that issue not going to go away?”
MW: “Oh, the president is in crypto. Melania is in crypto. His boys, his sons are in crypto. They're there to make money, and so far we see that they are doing that. When I take a look at Abu Dhabi who put $2 billion into Trump's coin, stablecoin so that he could finance it with Binance and the interest that he'll get off of that that's indicative of more involvement from foreign countries without regulations to deal with it.”
ML: “If you guys take over the House, is this going to be a big issue you'll push?”
The congresswoman’s elevator arrives.
MW: “I beg your pardon?”
ML: “If you guys take over the House next year, is this going to be a big issue you push reining in the president and their family?”
MW: “Well, we'll see, we'll see. We shall see.”
ML: “Yep.”
MW: “Alright.”
ML: “Thank you ma'am.”
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