Sam Bankman-Fried, disgraced FTX founder turned inmate, resurfaces not for his billion-dollar fraud however for courting Donald Trump and the GOP.
Serving 25 years for collapsing an $8 billion crypto empire, he’s now angling for a presidential pardon—an audacious pivot for somebody who as soon as stored the Republican Get together at arm’s size.
A Public Determined Shift For Sam Bankman-Fried
Talking from a Brooklyn jail in a sequence of interviews with the New York Solar, Sam Bankman-Fried expressed his rising disillusionment with the Democratic Get together and the Biden administration. The previous CEO didn’t mince his phrases, describing them as “destructive” and troublesome to work with.
“I became really frustrated and disappointed with what I saw of the Biden administration and the Democratic Party,” Bankman-Fried mentioned, contrasting them with what he now claims is the extra “reasonable” strategy of the Republican Get together.
Dozens of films shall be made about SBF/FTX
By no means know might embody all of the shameless SBF shills and outright liars pic.twitter.com/9yqRX9UMz4
— Sunil (FTX Creditor Champion) (@sunil_trades) February 21, 2025
Apparently, Bankman-Fried, previously a prolific Democratic donor who contributed $40 million to Democratic campaigns and PACs in 2022, has now aligned himself with political rhetoric from the fitting. He praised Elon Musk’s budget-slashing efforts, calling Musk’s “chainsaw approach” to authorities spending the type of daring step the nation wants.
“Some things actually do need more than a 10% cut,” Sam Bankman-Fried remarked. “They need a 30, 50, 70% [cut], but of course, they need to be rebuilt correctly.”
‘The Government is Against Me, Yo’
This shift in tone comes as his dad and mom, Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, spearhead a clemency push to safe a pardon for his or her son from President Trump.
Bankman-Fried has echoed the acquainted chorus of DOJ politicization, a declare typically leveled by Trump as he wrestles along with his personal authorized troubles.
The comparability to Ross Ulbricht, founding father of Silk Street, isn’t misplaced. Trump pardoned Ulbricht throughout his presidency, spotlighting his affect on Bitcoin’s rise. Bankman-Fried’s dad and mom are actually banking on that comparable narrative.
Not stopping there, Bankman-Fried aimed Decide Lewis Kaplan. He blasted Kaplan’s conduct in his trial and even invoked Kaplan’s position in a separate case that discovered Trump accountable for sexual abuse and defamation of E. Jean Carroll.
“I know President Trump had a lot of frustrations with Judge Kaplan,” Bankman-Fried mentioned. “I certainly did as well.”
Sam Bankman-Fried: Politics and Crypto Collide
Bankman-Fried’s bid for clemency underscores the uneasy collision between cryptocurrency and political maneuvering. As soon as hailed as a frontrunner within the burgeoning crypto house, his downfall has reignited debates about regulation, corruption, and political affect within the trade.
Whether or not or not his clemency marketing campaign succeeds, one factor stays evident—Sam Bankman-Fried’s saga is much from over.
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Key Takeaways
- Serving 25 years for collapsing an $8 billion crypto empire, SBF is now angling for a presidential pardon.
- Bankman-Fried, previously a prolific Democratic donor who contributed $40 million to Democratic campaigns.
The submit Sam Bankman-Fried Lobby Effort Underway For Trump Pardon: SBF Free in 2025? appeared first on 99Bitcoins.