“It is what it is”: Coinbase shrugs off “donation” to the Epstein Memorial ballroom
Asked if Coinbase’s donation to Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom was meant to curry favor, company president Emilie Choi replied: “Sure.” She added, “Frankly, I don’t even have a problem with it.” That’s one way to keep the crypto waters warm.
Driving the news: Axios’ Dan Primack asked Choi whether the donation was intended “to keep good relations with the White House,” to which she replied “sure.”
What they’re saying: “Frankly I don’t even have a problem” with the donation, Choi said.
“I think if you go to D.C., there’s a lot of buildings that need to be updated, and so if private industry has to do that, it is what it is.”
Catch up quick: The Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit that partners with the National Parks Service, is accepting and managing donations for the ballroom renovation.
Choi explained that Coinbase “made a check” to the nonprofit.
“We give a lot to different foundations now,” she said, adding that “the specifics of it, we we weren’t aware of.”
Coinbase joins Meta, Apple, and Lockheed Martin in backing the ego-driven project, which critics say blurs ethical lines. While the White House claims donations go through a nonprofit, ethics experts note it creates a “give and get” culture in which political access comes with a price tag and a seat at the buffet.
I’m not sure a class on ethics and civics in 5th grade would have helped these people. It sure wouldn’t hurt, but there seems to be something lacking in them.
"It is what it is." And what it is, is bribery. She's ok with that.