After Mt. Gox, went offline, U.S. Senator arguing that Bitcoin is "disruptive to US economy."

On Wednesday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va) sent the letter to regulatory agencies arguing that Bitcoin is "disruptive to our economy." just one day after one of the most popular Bitcoin exchanges, Mt. Gox, went offline, and about $350 million worth of its customers' bitcoins disappeared due to a supposed glitch.

Mt. Gox, which is based in Tokyo but has become one of the most well-known exchanges around, was still inactive on Wednesday after an unverified document obtained by Bitcoin entrepreneur Ryan Selkis seemed to show that nearly $400 million in bitcoins was missing. Mt. Gox had already suspended withdrawals last month and on Monday, its CEO stepped down from the board of a major Bitcoin lobbying organization.

One of the paragraphs  from  the letter reads; " I write today to express my concerns about Bitcoin. This virtual currency is currently unregulated and has allowed users to participate in illicit activity, while also being highly unstable and disruptive to our economy. For the reasons outlined below, I urge regulators to take appropriate action to limit the abilities of this highly unstable currency."

Mr. Manchin can influence regulators from his seat on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, but he has no direct authority over bitcoin.

Other U.S. officials have generally taken a more nuanced view of the currency, saying it posed risks but also held the promise of benefiting consumers.