Roger Ver: U.S. Intelligence Agencies "Hijack" Bitcoin, Turning It into a "Financial Trap"

Roger Ver, an early investor in Bitcoin known as "Bitcoin Jesus," stated that the joint actions of U.S. intelligence agencies and institutional participants have undermined early hopes for Bitcoin as an alternative to fiat currency. In a recent interview, Ver claimed that U.S. intelligence agencies intentionally sabotaged Bitcoin's potential as a widely used peer-to-peer (P2P) payment method. They did this by censoring and manipulating online forums such as bitcointalk.org and the Bitcoin subreddit r/bitcoin, steering it away from its decentralized origins. He pointed out that moderators associated with U.S. intelligence agencies attempted to suppress discussions about expanding Bitcoin's use globally, pushing it towards being viewed as a speculative asset. According to Ver, this is a coordinated effort aimed at controlling and limiting Bitcoin's potential to disrupt the traditional financial system. Ver believes that Bitcoin does not represent economic freedom, especially when held on centralized exchanges (CEX), which offer even less privacy than traditional banks. When asked if he believes Bitcoin was created by U.S. intelligence agencies, Ver stated that while Bitcoin may not have been designed that way initially, it has been "hijacked" by these agencies and turned into a "financial trap." He cited El Salvador as an example, noting that despite the general enthusiasm for Bitcoin, the primary use is through custodial accounts. This means that the government can monitor every transaction and arbitrarily freeze accounts. "This is completely contrary to economic freedom. It is government control over the economy," Ver said.