Trump Says He Won’t Pardon Sam Bankman-Fried
Donald Trump stated in a New York Times interview that he will not consider pardoning convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.Summary
President Donald Trump confirmed in an interview with The New York Times that he has no intention of pardoning Sam Bankman-Fried, the former FTX CEO serving a 25-year sentence for massive financial fraud against customers. This statement ends months of speculation within crypto and political circles about whether Bankman-Fried might seek clemency from a president known for aggressive pardon use. Bankman-Fried was convicted in 2023 for stealing billions to prop up his hedge fund, Alameda Research. Since his conviction, Bankman-Fried and his supporters have attempted to soften his image, including a Tucker Carlson interview and appeals from his parents emphasizing charitable intentions, while Bankman-Fried himself claimed to have secretly donated to Republicans to signal openness to a Republican-led clemency process. However, Trump views Bankman-Fried's case as distinct from those allies he claims were unfairly targeted by the Justice Department, despite Trump having previously pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ).
(Source：Bitcoin Magazine)