Overview
- Posting via intermediaries, Sam Bankman-Fried claims his 2022 arrest was political retaliation after he quietly donated tens of millions to Republicans and on the eve of planned congressional testimony.
- The SEC’s inspector general confirmed an enterprise wipe of then‑Chair Gary Gensler’s government phone erased texts from October 2022 to September 2023, which officials attributed to automated IT policies and critics say undermines transparency.
- Laura Loomer and attorney John E. Deaton assert there is a well‑funded push to win a Trump pardon for Bankman-Fried, but reporters found no Lobbying Disclosure Act filings tied to a clemency effort and no action on DOJ clemency logs.
- Earlier reports said Bankman-Fried’s parents explored clemency options and outreach to Trump’s orbit, though no direct campaign contact or formal petition has been confirmed.
- Bankman-Fried remains convicted with a 25‑year sentence and an $11 billion forfeiture, is incarcerated in California, and has a Second Circuit appeal hearing scheduled for November 4, with prediction markets assigning low odds to a near‑term release.