Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), founder of defunct crypto exchange FTX, sheds light on his donations to U.S. politicians.
In a startling development, SBF featured in former FOX News host Tucker Carlson’s podcast from federal prison, where he is serving a 25-year jail term.
During the interview, the former crypto billionaire disclosed his prison ordeal, perspective on U.S. crypto regulation, and political donations.
Sam Bankman-Fried is doing 25 years behind bars, and is now sharing a cell block with Diddy. He joins us from prison for an update on his new life.
(0:00) What Has Prison Been Like?
(2:28) Was SBF Ever on Adderall?
(4:42) SBF Meeting Diddy in Prison
(7:01) How Prison Has Changed… pic.twitter.com/mNSNktLibg— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) March 6, 2025
SBF Political Donations
Recall that SBF was found guilty of misappropriating customers’ funds, leading to the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange. Federal prosecutors claimed he spent over $100 million of the misappropriated funds on political campaign contributions during the 2022 U.S. midterm elections.
Notably, the Democratic Party was the major beneficiary of SBF’s political donations, with SBF revealing that he secretly funded the Republican Party.
Reason Behind Funding Republicans
In his latest interview, the FTX founder revealed that he started donating heavily to the Republican Party by late 2022. According to him, he contributed equally to both political parties, with his donations to the Republican Party becoming public knowledge around the same time FTX collapsed.
He revealed that his donations to Republicans were driven by certain things he experienced under the Biden administration. During the 42-minute interview, he expressed shock at the way the Biden administration handled crypto, describing Gary Gensler’s approach to crypto regulation as a “nightmare.”
However, he expressed optimism about Trump’s approach, hoping that the president will deliver on his promises for the industry.
In the meantime, SBF’s parents are seeking a presidential pardon from Trump since he could not get one under the Biden administration despite his hefty donations to the Democratic Party. Notably, SBF ranked as the second-largest individual donor of Biden’s presidential campaign.
Is SBF Contemplating Suicide?
SBF is currently serving a 25-year jail term for the role he played that led to the collapse of FTX. Commenting on his ordeal so far, SBF revealed that the prison officials have been friendly, adding that he is not in physical danger.
However, he expressed uncertainty about his ability to complete his jail term, hinting at a potential suicide. According to him, the suicide rate in prison is three times higher than what is typically expected, implying that the environment could have a psychological effect on inmates.
In his latest interview, SBF said that he had begun privately donating to the Republican Party in mid-to-late 2022, and the amount was about the same as that to the Democratic Party. SBF said he was not sure if he could hold on, suggesting that the suicide rate in prison was…
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) March 7, 2025
SBF Accuses FTX Bankruptcy Planners of Fraud
Meanwhile, he claimed that FTX would have amassed a considerable fortune if it had not filed for bankruptcy. Specifically, he asserted that the exchange would have had a strong balance sheet, with $93 billion in assets as against $15 billion in liabilities.
He accused the bankruptcy estate of significantly depleting the company’s assets, siphoning tens of billions of dollars through the proceedings.
While his parents seek a presidential pardon, SBF lawyers are pursuing an appeal to reduce his prison sentence. In a motion filed in the Second Circuit last year, his lawyers accused the trial judge of preventing their client from completely telling his own part of the story about FTX’s collapse.
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