Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson criticized Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse for supporting the CLARITY Act in its current form.
Hoskinson delivered the remarks during a live broadcast on X. He targeted Garlinghouse after the Ripple CEO publicly backed the bill and defended it as “better than nothing.”
Hoskinson said the CLARITY Act contains inconsistencies that should prevent public endorsement. He argued that supporting a flawed draft weakens the industry’s push for clearer and fairer regulation.
The criticism landed as other crypto leaders raised concerns about the legislation. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong publicly distanced himself from crypto legislation due to some major concerns.
Hoskinson warns CLARITY Act may stall
Hoskinson expressed that the position by Garlinghouse was unexpected since Ripple had been facing regulatory scrutiny by governmental regulators. He used that history as a justification for why the leadership of Ripple needed to be more wary of fueling controversial policy language.
Hoskinson also cautioned against stalling of the bill. He said the CLARITY Act may not pass in this political climate, and time is running out.
Hoskinson attributed the slowness to political distractions. He attributed the delay in the legislative process to the introduction of meme coins by President Trump.
He also criticized David Sacks and linked him to the slow movement of the bill. Hoskinson indicated that Sacks must resign should there be no development of the CLARITY Act.
Armstrong denies White House shift on the CLARITY Act
Armstrong addressed separate reporting about White House support for the CLARITY Act in an X post. He said reports claiming the White House would withdraw support were inaccurate and praised the administration’s approach.
“In general, love your posts, but this reporting is not accurate. The White House has been super constructive here,” Armstrong wrote. He said the administration worked with the industry and asked crypto leaders to deliver a solution for banks on the issue of yield.
In an X post, Eleanor Terrett responded directly to Armstrong’s statement. She said her reporting remained accurate and argued that Armstrong confirmed the key point of her story.
“My reporting was airtight and accurate,” Terrett wrote. She added that Armstrong cited the central point as correct, saying the White House asked Coinbase to secure a deal on yield.
The dispute added another layer of tension around the CLARITY Act’s negotiations. Hoskinson’s attack on Garlinghouse also highlighted the growing split between major crypto executives on how to approach the draft bill.