At a Turning Point USA event, Tucker Carlson said he believes the CIA created Bitcoin, warning that its anonymous founder proves a government hand behind the project.
In Brief
- Carlson said the “mystery” of Bitcoin’s creator points to CIA involvement.
- The 32-second clip from October 22 has gone viral with over 3 million views.
- Experts say the “CIA created Bitcoin” theory remains unsupported by evidence.
Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host and political commentator, told a crowd in Bloomington, Indiana, that he’s convinced the CIA created Bitcoin, calling its mysterious origin proof of government control. Speaking at a Turning Point USA event on Wednesday, Carlson said he refuses to invest in the cryptocurrency because of its shadowy beginnings.
Carlson’s Remarks Reignite CIA Created Bitcoin Theory
In the viral clip, Carlson said, “And nobody can explain to me who Satoshi was, the creator of Bitcoin. This mysterious guy who apparently died, but nobody knows who he was. You know, I grew up in D.C. primarily in a government family, so CIA — that’s my guess.”
He added that he wouldn’t invest in a system “whose founder is mysterious and has billions of dollars of unused Bitcoin.” Carlson also described himself as “a gold person,” warning that Bitcoin could one day turn into a “scam run by financial elites and politicians.”
Event footage from C-SPAN confirms the remarks took place during Carlson’s speech at Indiana University, part of Turning Point USA’s “This Is the Turning Point” tour.
Experts Dismiss CIA Created Bitcoin Speculation
The claim that the CIA created Bitcoin dates back more than a decade, but no evidence has ever supported it. Analysts note that Bitcoin’s open-source code has been publicly auditable since 2009 and cryptographic building blocks like SHA-256 were released into the public domain.
Jack Mallers, CEO of Strike, said on X, “If you think knowing who created Bitcoin matters, you don’t understand it. Bitcoin is open source — like math. Who invented math?” Others, like Marty Bent of TFTC.io, pointed out that even if the CIA had been involved, “anyone can audit the code.”
The Conspiracy’s Origins and Context
The CIA created Bitcoin narrative often cites Satoshi Nakamoto’s disappearance in 2011 and the fact that around 1 million BTC remain untouched. Some theorists connect it to U.S. intelligence operations such as “Operation Rubicon,” where the CIA and German intelligence secretly owned a Swiss encryption firm for decades.
Still, experts stress the difference between closed systems and Bitcoin’s transparency. Independent audits, including one by Trail of Bits in 2023, found no backdoors or hidden control mechanisms in Bitcoin’s design.
Market and Cultural Impact
The clip triggered a 300% surge in X mentions of “CIA Bitcoin” within 24 hours. Bitcoin’s price dipped about 0.5% to $67,200 on October 23 but quickly stabilized.
For most users, the theory revives old questions about trust and decentralization rather than changing Bitcoin’s fundamentals. As one analyst wrote, “The code doesn’t care who wrote it.”
Chain Street’s Take
Carlson’s comments echo a decade-old theory that the CIA created Bitcoin, but so far, there’s no proof beyond speculation. What’s clear is that Bitcoin continues to act as a mirror for global distrust in traditional institutions, and every new conspiracy only reinforces how powerful that narrative has become.
