U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during a congressional hearing that the U.S. will retain Bitcoin obtained through asset seizures but will not direct private banks to buy BTC during market downturns or “bail out Bitcoin.” In an exchange with California Congressman and longtime crypto critic Brad Sherman, Bessent stressed that neither he nor the Financial Stability Oversight Council has such authority, adding that seized BTC held by the government has grown in value from about $500 million to over ...