Sam Bankman-Fried, the once-celebrated cryptocurrency entrepreneur and major Democratic donor, is embarking on a high-stakes gamble to secure a pardon from former President Donald Trump. According to six individuals familiar with the situation, Bankman-Fried’s campaign to overturn his 25-year prison sentence — following his conviction on charges of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering tied to the collapse of his crypto exchange, FTX — involves a network of supporters led by his parents, Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried.
Despite Bankman-Fried’s previous alignment with Democratic politics and his open criticism of Trump, his clemency endeavor aims to tap into Trump’s transactional nature concerning pardons. Trump has historically favored applicants with connections or those resonating with his own narratives of prosecutorial overreach.
As part of this strategy, Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, both Stanford University law professors firmly rooted in Democratic circles, have engaged Kory Langhofer, an Arizona-based lawyer who has been involved with Trump’s past presidential campaigns. This move accompanies outreach to various politically connected figures and lobbyists in Washington purportedly allied with Bankman-Fried, as noted by three sources with inside knowledge.
In a tactical effort to curry favor, former low-profile Joseph Bankman co-authored a Washington Post opinion piece extolling Trump’s sovereign wealth fund proposals, which he asserted could significantly enhance corporate productivity. The Bankman-Fried team is also banking on potential flaws in his prosecution that might appeal to Trump’s grievances with the judiciary. Langhofer commented, “The prosecution told a story about FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried that is not correct. If the public knew the full story, they would view it differently.”
There is no confirmation of direct communication between the Bankman-Frieds and Trump or his immediate advisers. Nonetheless, the campaign recently gained a hint of momentum when Bankman-Fried conducted an unusual interview with Tucker Carlson, a known Trump ally. During the interview, conducted from Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, Bankman-Fried attempted to position himself as more closely aligned with Washington Republicans at the time of his legal troubles, expressing optimism about Trump’s potential influence on the crypto industry.
Yet, this interview led to complications. The Bureau of Prisons, adhering to strict regulations regarding inmate communications, subsequently placed Bankman-Fried in solitary confinement. A spokesperson confirmed that the interview was not sanctioned, though did not comment on Bankman-Fried’s current status.
Bankman-Fried’s public profile has been slowly resurgent; last week, he posted to social media for the first time in months, criticizing federal workforce layoffs and indicating his views through symbolic actions. Nevertheless, dissension among his supporters became evident when longtime spokesman Mark Botnick resigned, reportedly unaware of Bankman-Fried’s interview with Carlson until after its release.
While this pardon effort is daring given Bankman-Fried’s opposition to Trump and the acclaim for his conviction within some circles, Trump’s precedent of granting clemency in cases that capture his attention offers a glimmer of hope. The Bankman-Frieds point to the involvement of figures like Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who presided over both Bankman-Fried’s trial and the defamation case against Trump involving E. Jean Carroll, as potential leverage points. This effort underscores the intricate dynamics at play as Bankman-Fried seeks to reverse his legal fortunes in the challenging landscape of United States politics, virtual currency disputes, and the web of influences surrounding presidential pardons.
Original Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/technology/sam-bankman-fried-pardon-trump.html
Category : Bankman-Fried, Sam,Trump, Donald J,Amnesties, Commutations and Pardons,United States Politics and Government,Virtual Currency,Presidents and Presidency (US),Lobbying and Lobbyists,Computers and the Internet,HK FTX Trading Ltd (Futures Exchange),Fried, Barbara (1951- ),Bankman, Joseph
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Publish Date: 2025-03-08 01:59:00
