Crypto comes to Washington. Will the millions buy influence?

FILE - Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, speaks at United Performance Metals in Hamilton, Ohio, May 6, 2022. More than $100 million also has been spent lobbying since 2018 by crypto companies, as well as those who potentially stand to lose if the industry goes mainstream, records show. “What do they want? They want no regulation, or they want to help write the regulation. What else is new?” said Brown, an Ohio Democrat and industry critic. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

$FILE - Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., speaks to the crowd before former President Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally, April 9, 2022, in Selma, N.C. Cawthorn, a conservative Republican from North Carolina, touted a new crypto coin in a video posted to social media, emphatically declaring “This is going to the moon, baby,” while urging viewers to visit the coin’s website and “get on the train.” But after an initial spike, it plunged in value and is now worth a small fraction of a penny. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)$