President Donald Trump told The New York Times he has no plans to pardon former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.
The comments came during a two-hour interview in which Trump discussed topics ranging from U.S. oversight of Venezuela to potential pardons for several high-profile figures.
No pardon planned
The New York Times reported that Trump was asked about clemency for a list that included Venezuela’s ousted leader Nicolás Maduro, former New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, music executive Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Bankman-Fried.
Bankman-Fried was convicted in 2023 on multiple fraud and conspiracy charges tied to the collapse of FTX.
He is serving a 25-year prison sentence and is appealing the conviction.
Bankman-Fried’s clemency push
Over the past year, Bankman-Fried has posted via an X account that says the messages are his words shared by a friend.
In December, he praised Trump’s pardon of ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and wrote that “few are more deserving than him.”
Trump and bitcoin industry ties
The report noted Bankman-Fried was a major donor to Democrats in 2020, including a $5.2 million donation to support efforts to defeat Trump.
Since returning to office, Trump has issued pardons connected to the bitcoin industry, including former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao and Silk Road operator Ross Ulbricht.
Trump also defended his backing of the bitcoin industry amid scrutiny of his family’s business ties.
Trump told the NYT:
“I got a lot of votes because I backed crypto, and I got to like it.”
