John Deaton Comes Under Fire From XRP Army Over Bitcoin Ownership

• Crypto lawyer John Deaton disclosed an XRP holder had an issue with him over his Bitcoin holdings.
• Deaton lectured that every XRP holder should hope Bitcoin prices go up, as that is when altcoins increase, too. 
• The lawyer reiterated his commitment to XRP but maintained that he rejects XRP and Bitcoin maximalism.

John E. Deaton, a prominent lawyer and reputed member of the XRP community, sparked outrage after he disclosed an altercation with an XRP holder regarding his Bitcoin holdings. 

In a post on X, Deaton said the XRP holder had an issue with his Bitcoin holdings. After that, the member requested to be withdrawn from the list of 75K XRP holdings that Deaton represented. According to the member, they refused to be represented by an attorney who owns Bitcoin. 

Following the disclosure, Deaton came under heat from other community members, who seemingly supported the XRP holder. One user claimed that it didn’t matter what Deaton owned, but argued that if Deaton was accumulating Bitcoin and not XRP, “surely you can see why army members are disappointed with your lack of respect for them.” 

While still maintaining his stand, Deaton defended his Bitcoin holdings, saying, “Every XRP holder should hope Bitcoin runs up.” According to the lawyer, a surge in Bitcoin’s price is important, as that is when altcoins’ prices, including XRP, go up. 

Deaton continued, “XRP has not decoupled from Bitcoin. That’s a fact, no matter how much you or anyone hate it. I have a significant stake in XRP, but being pleased Bitcoin is rising is not disrespect on any level. I reject Bitcoin maximalism, and I reject XRP maximalism.”

The recent outrage highlights the growing tension between the XRP Army and Bitcoin maximalists. Recently, the conversations took the fore again after Cardano’s Charles Hoskinson accused Bitcoin maximalists of supporting the government against other crypto networks. 

Notably, Hoskinson claims that regulators, specifically the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, gave Bitcoin and Ethereum free passes while going after other networks. In response, Bitcoin maximalists argued against the notion, stating that, unlike XRP, Bitcoin doesn’t qualify as a security since there was no ICO.