Edward Snowden: US Gov’t Lawsuit to Block Book Is ‘Good for Bitcoin’

Whistleblower Edward Snowden has hinted he might place his wealth in Bitcoin (BTC) to avoid the United States government confiscating the funds.

Snowden: Lawsuit is “good for Bitcoin”

In a tweet on Sept. 17, Snowden, who lives in asylum in Russia, continued his response to news Washington is suing him over the content of his new book, “Permanent Record.”

“In conclusion this is good for Bitcoin,” he wrote. 

The episode continues a debacle about the publication, with the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) complaining Snowden did not submit a draft of it for approval before publication. 

“We will not permit individuals to enrich themselves, at the expense of the United States, without complying with their pre-publication review obligations,” Jody Hunt, Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ’s Civil Division, commented in an accompanying press release.

From Zcash to Bitcoin advocacy

Bitcoin has featured in moves by Snowden at the U.S. government’s expense before. As Cointelegraph reported, in June, it emerged that Bitcoin was the medium of choice he used to pay for servers used in a leak of data from the National Security Agency, or NSA.

Nonetheless, in previous comments, Snowden revealed doubts about Bitcoin’s suitability as a financial means of avoiding government coercion. 

“The much larger structural flaw, the long-lasting flaw, is its public ledger,” he said in an interview in March last year. 

Notably absent from Snowden’s plans this time, however, was privacy-focused altcoin ZCash (ZEC), which he previously praised. Bitcoin supporters were thus more than happy with his publicity.

“Bitcoin is the currency of the people, for the people and by the people,” a popular response from the analyst known as Rhythm read.