Rarely in American politics has a new industry spent so much money, with such apparent impact, as the cryptocurrency business did in the last election. "Cryptocurrencies" like Bitcoin, are digital assets, created and maintained by networks of computers. Mystifying to some and mesmerizing to others, they're used for transactions and as high-risk investments with potentially high rewards. At least 17 million Americans own crypto, and how the industry should be regulated in the U.S. has been the subject of much dispute. With an important piece of legislation now before Congress, perhaps it's no surprise that big crypto companies were among the top donors in this past election. And since the election, the price of Bitcoin has hit record highs. It isn't clear whether the crypto industry will get Congress or the incoming Trump administration to craft the regulation or the legitimacy that they seek. But they've been investing a whole lot of their own cash to get something.