Ryan Selkis, co-founder and CEO of cryptocurrency research platform Messari, is stepping down in the wake of a social media tirade following the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Selkis, an outspoken Trump supporter who attended David Sacks' sold-out fundraiser for him in June, said on x that Trump's critics should “die in a fire,” claimed the shooting was a deep state plot orchestrated by Democrats, and called for the deportation of an American green card holder who disagreed with his posts. “I hope we send you back,” he said on crypto-startups-leadership/”>an exchange captured by Coindesk“They are protected by constitutional rights, but they do not have the right to citizenship. I hope it remains that way.”
“We must root out the metastatic cancer and evil of the left, by force if necessary,” he said in another message on x. “That is why the second amendment was and is so important. Don’t start with violence, but if they bring it to your door, end it with violence.”
Trump has received significant financial support from venture capitalists, tech founders and cryptocurrency promoters in recent months, but Selkis has emerged as one of the most vocal supporters of the Republican candidate. x.com/bdanweiss/status/1813914637764849922″>analysis from Selkis x's recent posts by DL News Information Reporter Ben Weiss found that Selkis posts 117 times a day on average, often between 3 and 5 a.m. local time.)
In hundreds of posts in the days after the shooting, Selkis repeatedly claimed the attempted murder was an inside job. x.com/twobitidiot/status/1813611707752931710″>mail showed images of a bloodied Trump shaking his fist as he stood surrounded by service members next to a photo of former President Barack Obama, then-Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials in a conference room as Seal Team 6 killed Osama bin Laden.
“We must assume that this was planned,” Selkis wrote in x.com/twobitidiot/status/1813900625052307947″>A post from July 18th“They have to prove that it wasn't like that.”
In a post directed at Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a frequent critic of cryptocurrencies, Selkis suggested the senator had been involved in the attempted assassination of Trump. She noted that Warren and the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, have similar “physiognomy,” a reference to the discredited science of judging a person’s character based on their facial features.
Selkis will now take on a senior advisory role at Messari; current chief revenue officer Eric Turner will take over as CEO. In a note posted on x announcing the change, Selkis says he is “disgusted” by the media and the Biden administration’s failure “to quell the divisive rhetoric that contributed to the attack in the first place.” In a follow-up post, Selkis said he was “absolutely crushing IPAs” while monitoring “the tone and balance of all articles” about his ouster.
Asked for comment via text message, Selkis said: The edge, “You can write your critique article for your useless publication. Regards.”
