U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Friendswood, says his campaign for U.S. Senate is now taking donations via Bitcoin, a private virtual currency, but the Federal Elections Commission has not yet agreed to allow such donations.

Stockman was attending an event promoting the NYC Bitcoin Center in New York City earlier this week when he told a reporter with Business Insider that his campaign could now accept Bitcoin donations. Stockman appeared to confirm the story by linking to it on Facebook and Twitter. As of Thursday morning, his campaign website’s donation page made no mention of Bitcoin.

Stockman’s campaign did not return a request for comment Thursday morning.

In November, the FEC considered whether to allow federal candidates and political action committees to accept Bitcoin donations. The committee deadlocked, 3-3. An FEC spokesman confirmed that the commission has not taken up the issue since the November vote.

Stockman is challenging U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the March primary.

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Aman Batheja was a political reporter and editor for the Tribune from 2012 to 2019. Previously he worked for eight years at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, most of that time covering state and local politics....