SBF's Clemency Tour Continues With Tucker Carlson Podcast Interview
The former FTX CEO claimed he had good relations with the Republican Party before his exchange collapsed.
Tom Carreras, Cheyenne Ligon | Edited by Steven Alpher Updated Mar 6, 2025 20:28 UTC Published Mar 6, 2025 19:55 UTC
Key points:
- Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud and conspiracy.
- In an interview with Tucker Carlson, he said he had established ties to the Republican Party before his arrest, and that this likely influenced his sentence.
- Bankman-Fried has donated more than $40 million to 196 members of Congress, including prominent Republicans and Democrats.
Based on his recent social media posts about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an interview with The New York Sun, and a conversation with conservative analyst Tucker Carlson, FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried appears to be trying to go on a media rehabilitation tour.
On Thursday, Bankman-Fried suggested to Carlson that one of the reasons for his harsh sentence was his affiliation with the Republican Party before his arrest.
“One thing that may be relevant: I was a left-of-center candidate in 2020 and I supported the Biden campaign,” he said. “I was hopeful that he would be a reliable left-of-center president. I’ve been in [Washington], D.C., a lot for a number of years. I’ve made numerous trips there and I’ve been really, really surprised by what I’ve seen, and it’s not good for the administration.”
“By the end of 2022, I was donating as much to Republicans as I was to Democrats. And that came out right around the time of the FTX crash, so that probably played a role in my sentencing,” Bankman-Fried added.
Bankman-Fried was convicted of multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy in March 2024 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He made more than $40 million in political contributions to 196 members of Congress, including former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). That means one in three lawmakers accepted money from him.
Read more: Congress's FTX Problem: One in Three Members of Congress Took Money From Crypto Exchange Executives
During the lengthy Bankman-Fried trial, it emerged that he had been mulling over a variety of ways to repair his public image after the FTX collapse. An undated Google Doc included ideas like “speaking against the agenda” and “Come on, Tucker Carlson, speak like a Republican.” With the GOP now in key positions in D.C., the latter idea appears to be coming to fruition.
Bankman-Fried told Carlson he didn’t expect much from Democrats, but believed some lawmakers in both political parties would be thoughtful. He criticized former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler, describing the agency as “something of a nightmare” during his tenure because of the difficulties crypto companies faced in registering.
When asked by Carlson whether he had sought favors from political figures during the trial, Bankman-Fried denied it.
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