CIA Deputy Director: Bitcoin is a payment tool and “another tool in the toolbox"

[yhiaali3]

I apologize for the length of the topic, but I think it is an important topic and contains many points that deserve research and discussion.

Deputy Director of the CIA Micheal Jayellis said in an interview with Anthony Pompliano that the CIA considers Bitcoin as a tool they can use for payments. He added there’s a lot of work the CIA does with law enforcement to track illicit crypto payments by bad actors, whether they are drug cartels, terrorist groups, or outlaw regimes.

Deputy Director of the CIA Micheal Jayellis said the CIA views Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a tool they can use for payments. He said Bitcoin and other digital assets were “another tool in the tool box.”

He also noted the agency aims to give President Donald Trump a decisive intelligence advantage for his decision making. Jayellis also argued that Bitcoin was pseudonymous despite popular belief the digital assets were anonymous.

CIA’s Deputy Director says the agency uses Bitcoin for payments
The CIA views Bitcoin as a tool they can use for payments.

Michael Giles, Deputy Director of the CIA also stated:

“Bitcoin is here to stay. Cryptocurrency is here to stay. As you know, more and more institutions are adopting it, and I think that’s a great trend and one that this administration has been obviously leaning forward to.”
Jayellis acknowledged the agency also uses digital currency technology to collect more intelligence and gather more information about them. He argued that Bitcoin was similar to other advanced technologies, which the CIA needed to prioritize.

The most important statement was regarding China, where he said:

Jayellis says China is the CIA’s top priority

President Trump understands that we can’t pass the American Dream into the next generation if we let China dominate us.

He’s the first President of my lifetime to call China a threat to our American way of life.

They’re our biggest enemy and it’s past time we fight back. pic.twitter.com/DYM1ztmGlP

— Senator Jim Banks (@SenatorBanks) April 9, 2025

Jayellis gave President Trump credit for being the first to realize and point out to people that China has been competing in an unfair way. He added that Trump was the first to recognize that China was also breaking the rules on trade, international property theft, and cyber security.

He condemned the previous U.S. Presidents for their policy to “enable the peaceful rise of China,” but noted Trump was the first to say it was absolutely wrong. Jayellis argued that although countries like North Korea, Iran, Russia, ISIS, and Al Qaeda are a threat to the U.S., “China is the existential threat to the United States” in the economic and technological realm.

https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/23648103071169

In fact, the interview was a long and important one, so I've quoted the most important points.
There are several points raised by the CIA's deputy director:

First, he said that the agency considers Bitcoin a payment tool and that the agency uses Bitcoin for payments.
He said that Bitcoin and other digital assets are "another tool in its toolbox."
He also said that Bitcoin was pseudonymous, despite the widespread belief that digital assets are anonymous.
He acknowledged that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are here to stay.
Giles acknowledged that the agency is also using digital currency technology to gather more intelligence.
China is the CIA's top priority, and Trump describes China as "our number one enemy."

In my opinion, this article is very important because it is by a senior figure in the CIA, who often implements the real policies of the United States, away from diplomacy and the media. Therefore, the points made in it represent the reality of what the United States is thinking and striving to achieve behind the scenes.

[0t3p0t]

When I first came to crypto the idea that circulated on the internet wherein Bitcoin being created by inteligence agency to fund their operations whatever it was and obviously from that context that was a military related rumor but there was also deepweb or darkweb that primarily uses it for transactions so I am wondering which is which? Is Bitcoin really created for that purpose?

[JollyGood]

At this stage it is another opinion and another comment. Many people understand the significance of crypto (and more specifically Bitcoin) therefore opinions are changing over time. Until there is serious backing from political leaders for acceptance of crypto, nothing has been achieved.

[yhiaali3]

When I first came to crypto the idea that circulated on the internet wherein Bitcoin being created by inteligence agency to fund their operations whatever it was and obviously from that context that was a military related rumor but there was also deepweb or darkweb that primarily uses it for transactions so I am wondering which is which? Is Bitcoin really created for that purpose?

Yes, I've heard the conspiracy theory that Bitcoin was created by the CIA, but I never believed it at all because I understand that Bitcoin is the complete opposite of control and centralization. Therefore, I couldn't imagine how an agency seeking to control the world could create a completely decentralized and privacy-preserving currency.

However, I think this interview also supports my point of view, as the CIA before Trump ignored Bitcoin because the presidents before him didn't accept Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. But with Trump taking control, all that changed.

[Stompix]

First, he said that the agency considers Bitcoin a payment tool and that the agency uses Bitcoin for payments.

He never said that!

He said that Bitcoin and other digital assets are "another tool in its toolbox."

The full paragraph is actually dangerous:

"Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are another tool in the toolbox but also a target. We can disrupt our adversaries' use of it and we can use these technologies to collect more intelligence, gather more information about them," he said.

They are using Bitcoin to track payments and gather information, they are basically exploring the public ledger, at no single point have they said anything about using it as it is meant to be.
Here is the full video interview:

[yhiaali3]

First, he said that the agency considers Bitcoin a payment tool and that the agency uses Bitcoin for payments.

He never said that!

You're right, thanks for the link. I watched the video and didn't hear him say that.
But I got this quote from here:
https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/23648103071169

He said that Bitcoin and other digital assets are "another tool in its toolbox."

The full paragraph is actually dangerous:

"Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are another tool in the toolbox but also a target. We can disrupt our adversaries' use of it and we can use these technologies to collect more intelligence, gather more information about them," he said.

They are using Bitcoin to track payments and gather information, they are basically exploring the public ledger, at no single point have they said anything about using it as it is meant to be.

Yes, this statement caught my attention from the beginning. It's dangerous. It carries many meanings, because his statement about "Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are another tool in the toolbox, but also a target" can be interpreted in more than one way.
He also admitted that they use Bitcoin against their opponents.

But the good thing is that he said that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are here to stay, that they can be used for both good and bad things, and that criminals can use Bitcoin as they can use anything else, so we can prevent its use.

[gunhell16]

When I first came to crypto the idea that circulated on the internet wherein Bitcoin being created by inteligence agency to fund their operations whatever it was and obviously from that context that was a military related rumor but there was also deepweb or darkweb that primarily uses it for transactions so I am wondering which is which? Is Bitcoin really created for that purpose?

Maybe dude, with all the years you've been in the crypto industry, you already know the answer to the inquiry you're asking, and maybe you just want to know the opinions of others so that you can balance out the other things others have to say.

Now regarding what the op is saying, it seems like the CIA deputy director is open-minded about the benefits we can gain from bitcoin and I also think he sees the possible good things it can provide in the future.

[NotATether]

The CIA pays off drug dealers, traffickers, money launderers, hackers, corrupt governments, and of course terrorists. All with bitcoins (but occasionally with USDT too).

Fuck them. There's better ways to gather intel without making the world a shittier place. And occasionally, they even turn on their own agents. Hardly an aspirig career.

[yhiaali3]

The CIA pays off drug dealers, traffickers, money launderers, hackers, corrupt governments, and of course terrorists. All with bitcoins (but occasionally with USDT too).

Fuck them. There's better ways to gather intel without making the world a shittier place. And occasionally, they even turn on their own agents. Hardly an aspirig career.

We have a popular proverb here in Arab countries that says, "He who protects it is the one who thief it." This applies here to the CIA. I'm not surprised at all by your statement that the agency secretly pays drug dealers, traffickers, money launderers, hackers, corrupt governments, and terrorists in Bitcoin to carry out its schemes around the world.

Of course, when their mission is discovered or completed, they are arrested by the CIA itself under the pretext of terrorism, money laundering, national security, or other such matters, while preserving the CIA's clean reputation. It's like a farce.

[TomPluz]

As far as I am concerned, the biggest takeaway with that interview is that the CIA under Trump is really recognizing Bitcoin as it should be and is in fact using it as a tool just like many of us. Now, you could never use a tool if it would not be effective with your aims and goals, of course. With this kind of mindset now invading the top echelon of the government, it would be safe to say that indeed Bitcoin can be here to stay and would even be bigger and better in terms of mainstream adoption in the coming years. I would not go into other things related to the interview anymore because as of the moment I am not interested with them or how we might interpret them as such.

[densuj]

The CIA pays off drug dealers, traffickers, money launderers, hackers, corrupt governments, and of course terrorists. All with bitcoins (but occasionally with USDT too).

Fuck them. There's better ways to gather intel without making the world a shittier place. And occasionally, they even turn on their own agents. Hardly an aspirig career.

The CIA alleged use of Bitcoin and USDT to fund unsavory actors drug lords, hackers, corrupt regimes, and terrorists raises serious ethical red flags. While crypto’s anonymity aids covert ops, it’s a double-edged sword, potentially fueling crime and instability. There are cleaner ways to gather intel, like advanced SIGINT or HUMINT, without bankrolling chaos.

 Betraying their own agents only worsens the agencys rep, making a CIA career less appealing high risk, moral compromise, and no loyalty. Cryptos role in this mess highlights the need for better oversight, not just of intelligence tactics but of how blockchain enables shadowy deals. Reform’s overdue.

[Stompix]

The CIA pays off drug dealers, traffickers, money launderers, hackers, corrupt governments, and of course terrorists. All with bitcoins (but occasionally with USDT too).

And do we have evidence of this?
Because it's the public blockchain, if anyone had any info on that, we would have some wallets labeled CIA, but...we don't have any.
Also, why would they use BTC for this, it can be easy traced back to them, and on the other side why would all those guys accept Bitcoin for this and not demand stuff like Monero? Let's not even discuss USDT..

[hugeblack]

As long as they can control Bitcoin and monitor all transactions, they won't refuse to accept it. So, this may not be a very positive news for those who care about decentralization or fear their coins being labeled as dirty.

[Azharul]

Bitcoin is a payment tool, i think that it’s absolutely a correct opinion in this moment. Because we know that bitcoin is one of the best profitable crypto in cryptocurrency market. I also believe that gradually bitcoin price will increase in cryptocurrency market. If we follow in cryptocurrency volatile market, we can see that bitcoin price reach up and down in cryptocurrency market. so in this situation if we understand cryptocurrency market and hold bitcoin, i think that we will be helpful from here.