Kevin Hassett walked into the White House holding up to $5 million in Coinbase stock. Then he advised Trump on crypto policy. Then he disclosed it later. The system worked.
This is what they mean by aligned incentives. Guy owns a massive stake in the country's largest crypto exchange. Guy whispers economic policy into the president's ear. President reshapes entire regulatory approach to crypto. Coinbase stock does great things. Everyone wins except the people who think government officials shouldn't own the thing they're regulating, but those people don't get invited to Mar-a-Lago.
Hassett's job was to analyze the American economy and provide unbiased counsel. He did this while personally betting the price of a house on whether one specific company would benefit from the administration's choices. That's not a conflict of interest. That's just interest.
The disclosure came after his service. Not before. Not during. After. Like finding out your surgeon owned stock in the knee replacement company once you're already walking with a limp. But he disclosed it eventually, which in Washington means he followed the rules, and following the rules means shut up.
Somewhere right now a retail trader is reading this story and thinking it confirms everything. The game is rigged. The insiders win. He knew all along. And he's right, but he's still gonna lose money on AI penny stocks next week because knowing the casino is rigged doesn't mean you stop pulling the lever.
Hassett made millions advising on policy that affected his millions. They'll call it a scandal for forty-eight hours. Then someone will tweet something dumber and we'll forget. The chart doesn't care who owned what. The chart just moves. And Kevin Hassett moved it in the right f*cking direction for Kevin Hassett.
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