Bitcoin Cash (BCH) founder Roger Ver made a rare media appearance on Tuesday to pump a microcap altcoin, trash talk bitcoin, and explain how his alleged tax misfilings would have been the fault of his accountant.

Former Fox News anchor turned Republican media exec Tucker Carlson interviewed Ver for 40 minutes without challenging his claims, granting him unchecked airtime to frame his indictment as a conspiracy by intelligence agencies to silence him. Elon Musk amplified the broadcast.

The US Department of Justice alleges that Ver evaded approximately $50 million in taxes in 2017. Prosecutors claim that Ver purposefully withheld information, including $240 million worth of crypto transactions, from his accountant in order to avoid paying taxes. Ver is currently facing extradition from Spain for US mail fraud and tax evasion.

Read more: Roger Ver arrested for tax fraud while promoting Bitcoin book

During his interview with Carlson, Ver claimed that he renounced his American citizenship because he upholds American values.

“That’s exactly the value that America was founded on,” Ver said. “It was a bunch of British people that renounced their citizenship and said, ‘I don’t like the laws you guys are passing; I’m not going to be a part of this anymore.’ So renouncing your citizenship is actually one of the most patriotic, American-esque things you can possibly do.”

Carlson suggests US gov’t out to get Roger Ver

Carlson’s one-sided portrayal of Ver’s situation assumed that the US government has an interest in silencing Ver’s speech and subverting Bitcoin’s original promise of financial privacy.

“Maybe it’s not about the taxes,” Carlson opined. “Could there be another reason the US government is angry at you?”

Ver was happy to agree. “I think they’re just angry about my lack of obedience and lack of, y’know, kissing their ring. I was the first person in the world to begin investing in bitcoin… and invest in businesses that made it easy to use bitcoin as money.”

Using his maximum, 109-year sentence for rhetorical effect, Ver warned listeners that if they did not take action, such as visiting his website or signing his petition, he might spend the rest of his life in prison.

The real winner of Tucker Carlson’s interview: Zano

Ver, of course, spent his final years in the crypto industry promoting a fork of bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and a sequence of various altcoins. One such altcoin, Verse, held space on the homepage of his flagship bitcoin.com website for months.

Nowadays, Verse is down 97% from its all-time high. Ver’s BCH is similarly down 97% from its all-time high against bitcoin.

Read more: Roger Ver released on $160K bail as US seeks extradition

One of Ver’s latest darlings is Zano, some sort of next-generation privacy scaling solution for bitcoin, ether, and even user-created altcoins. The micro-cap coin curiously rallied for days ahead of Carlson’s interview that contains six shout-outs for Zano. 

Three months ago, Zano was worth less than $80 million. After Carlson’s interview, which has amassed over 2.5 million impressions on X and 170,000 views on YouTube at press time, Zano has rallied north of $180 million.

Roger Ver asks for help

The interview covered other topics, including the Blocksize Wars and earlier years of Bitcoin history. Carlson even asked Ver who he thinks is the real Satoshi Nakamoto.

“I don’t know, and if anybody knows, I’m not aware of that,” Ver responded. “Whoever he is, or they are, or she is, they deserve their privacy.”

Ver doubted that intelligence agencies had initially created Bitcoin. However, he believes that they eventually hijacked it.

Roger Ver has filed a motion to dismiss his criminal case alongside other attempts to prevent his extradition from Spain to the US. His attorneys argue that the exit tax and tax codes involved in his alleged violations were too vague. He also claims the US government violated his attorney-client privilege and infringed on his free speech.

In both his interview with Carlson and across his own channels, Ver urges the public to sign his petition as he fights criminal proceedings from Mallorca.

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The post Tucker Carlson casts Roger Ver as victim ‘silenced’ by US government appeared first on Protos.

An ironic screenshot of Fox News political commentator and staunch anti-abortionist Tucker Carlson was minted as an NFT and sold for over $14,000 after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion on Friday — proceeds will go to prominent pro-choice groups.

This time last year, Republican Carlson accidentally used a pro-abortion argument to justify why people shouldn’t get vaccinated: “Of course, it’s your body, your choice, as we’ve heard for almost 50 years,” he said on Fox News in response to a senator’s decision not to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

As the Tucker Carlson Tonight segment aired, text appeared at the bottom of the screen that could also be interpreted as pro-abortion: “Making an informed choice regarding your own body shouldn’t be controversial,” it said in all caps.

The striking screenshot made rounds online, and one Twitter user made parallels to the work of artist Jenny Holzer — she creates large text-based installations that feature thought provoking, often feminist messages full of contradictions.

“This is like a Jenny Holzer installation or something right,” Washington DC-based Gillian Branstetter wrote online with the screenshot attached.

Indeed, the completely inadvertently pro-choice message by Fox News reads reminiscent of Holzer’s famous phrases. “Abuse of power comes as no surprise,” her billboard in Times Square read, as part of a series called Truisms from the 80s.

“Killing is unavoidable but is nothing to be proud of,” reads another.

As luck would have it, Holzer spotted Branstetter’s tweet and, with permission, minted the Tucker Carlson NFT, vowing to auction it when the Supreme Court made its decision.

That day was Friday. The New York-based artist listed the NFT at 0.5 ETH or about $600.

• After three hours, a bid was placed by an unnamed wallet for 4.20 ETH ($5,100).
• Four more bids hiked up the price to 11 ETH ($13,450) within the next four hours.
• The initial bidder returned Saturday with a winning bid of 12.10 ETH, worth about $14,800 at press time.

Tucker Carlson NFT bought by a DAO

According to the Washington Post, the new owner is likely the head of operations of PleasrDAO, which refers to itself as an “art collecting empire” that snatches up “culturally significant pieces with a charitable twist.”

The group is most known for its $4 million purchase of a doge meme NFT and another $4 million it dropped on Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, the unreleased Wu-Tang Clan album seized by the Feds from Martin Shkreli, who allegedly used the one-of-its-kind album as a coaster.

The DAO also has a history of charity-related buys, like Edward Snowden’s Stay Free NFT for $5 million, which the whistleblower said will go to the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

Tweets from the reported new owner of Tucker Carlson’s NFT show a penchant for Doge NFT posts and other DeFi projects.

“Sad day for the USA,” twitter user @JuanPaDulanto posted when the Tucker Carlson NFT was minted. “NFT peeps plz help me share this relevant auction.”

They have also recently posted their enthusiasm about ChoiceDAO, formed last month in response to the Supreme Court decision leak. It plans to raise $1 million in 26 days “in the fight for reproductive access.”

Yet the notoriety of DAOs — essentially known for being glorified pyramid schemes — is more than enough reason to explain why the fight for reproductive rights doesn’t need DeFi.

You can directly donate to legitimate pro-abortion funds in your area here.

For more informed news, follow us on Twitter and Google News or listen to our investigative podcast Innovated: Blockchain City.

The post NFT of Tucker Carlson being accidentally pro-choice raises $14K for abortion rights appeared first on Protos.