Sen. Warren scorns crypto dollars backing her GOP challenger Deaton

Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday said cryptocurrency billionaires “bought” the Republican nomination for her newly minted opponent, attorney and Marine veteran John Deaton.

The 56-year-old cryptocurrency advocate beat out two other Republicans in the primary Tuesday, with a major boost from crypto investors who poured millions of dollars into a super PAC supporting him and bashing Warren.

“Now the question is, can crypto buy this seat,” Warren said in an interview on WBUR’s Radio Boston. Warren is a prolific Democratic fundraiser and has over $5.2 million on hand.

Warren said influential cryptocurrency investors like the Winklevoss brothers oppose her for her aggressive position on regulating the crypto industry. (The Winklevoss twins turned to the digital currency after alleging Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea in creating Facebook, and were memorably portrayed by the actor Armie Hammer in the 2010 movie “The Social Network”).

“My concern is about how [crypto] is used by terrorists, drug traffickers, how it’s used by scammers, how it’s used by rogue nations like North Korea and Iran,” Warren said.

Warren said she believes decentralized digital currencies should be subject to the same oversight as other financial transactions. “And crypto billionaires evidently don’t want that,” she commented.

In a statement declaring victory Tuesday night, Deaton said he would run on a message of “optimism, unity, and solving problems.”

Warren also addressed rumors around Gov. Maura Healey being considered to serve as attorney general in a potential Kamala Harris administration. Healey further stoked speculation by dodging a question on the CBS Sunday talk show “Face the Nation.” She later said she’s “not interested” in any job other than governor.

“I gotta say, she was a terrific attorney general,” Warren said Wednesday. “I loved working with her.”

And ultimately, Warren said, she’s “Team Maura Healey, whatever she wants to do.”

Warren had harsh words for the top of the Republican ticket.

“I feel like we are watching Donald Trump disintegrate in front of our very eyes,” she said. Warren questioned Trump’s mental acuity, saying he’s not the same speaker he was four years ago.

“But I want to be clear about this,” she said. “Even if he is a hundred percent on his game, what he wants to do to this country is so deeply wrong.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.