Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse Blindsided by Pro-Crypto Senator Lummis’ Cold Shoulder
Brad Garlinghouse—the man who bet his company on Washington playing nice with crypto—just got a brutal reality check from an unlikely foe: Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis, the industry’s supposed ally.
The Ripple boss tweeted his bewilderment after Lummis’ team ghosted his meeting requests. Ironic, given her vocal support for ’blockchain innovation’—apparently that doesn’t extend to the CEO of a $10B crypto payments giant. Maybe those Wall Street donations hit different.
One thing’s clear: in DC, even your friends treat you like a leveraged long position—ready to dump at the first sign of volatility.
Crypto community speculates over motives behind the snub
The cancellation of the meeting has stirred speculation within the crypto community.
Some critics saw Garlinghouse’s public complaint as unnecessary, while others accused Senator Lummis of favoritism toward Bitcoin.
Pierre Rochard, CEO of Bitcoin Bond Company, suggested that Lummis may have declined the meeting due to Garlinghouse’s backing of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), which many Bitcoin advocates oppose.
He said:
“You ruined your reputation and lost all credibility by pushing for CBDCs and against Bitcoin. Nobody takes you seriously anymore.”
Meanwhile, XRP community members also raised concerns about a possible personal conflict of interest.
An account named Cowboy Crypto pointed out that Lummis’ son-in-law, Will Cole, is a bitcoin advocate who has previously mocked Ripple.
Cole, who works for Bitcoin payments firm Zaprite, reposted content ridiculing Garlinghouse.
The account also highlighted Lummis’ financial ties to venture firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and her family’s DEEP Bitcoin ties.
In response, Garlinghouse acknowledged the information, saying it is “certainly enlightening that Will Cole is related to Sen Lummis.”
However, he said his inability to meet with the lawmaker after six years of trying was troubling. Considering this, he questioned whether the decision to deny came directly from Senator Lummis or her staff.
