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Oops. Sam Bankman-Fried’s implosion took down Democrats’ second-biggest donor with it as the party gears up to regulate crypto
Fortune magazine ^ | STEVE MOLLMAN

Posted on 11/11/2022 11:07:41 PM PST by NoLibZone

Fewer names have been bigger in cryptocurrencies this year than Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of crypto exchange FTX. So when it became clear this week that the curly-haired billionaire and his exchange faced a liquidity crunch, he was no longer a billionaire, and his exchange likely wasn’t solvent, it cast a shadow over the entire crypto space and sent digital currencies plummeting.

It cast a shadow in Washington, D.C., too.

The 30-year-old Bankman-Fried has been a major force in Democratic politics, ranking as the party’s second-biggest individual donor in the 2021–2022 election cycle, according to Open Secrets, with donations totaling $39.8 million. That ranks only behind George Soros (about $128 million) but ahead of many other big names, including Michael Bloomberg ($28.3 million). What’s more, he had promised to spend far more on Democrats moving forward, predicting in May that he’d fund “north of $100 million” and had a “soft ceiling” of $1 billion for the 2024 elections.

That doesn’t look nearly as likely now. He backed away from the prediction last month, describing it as “dumb” to Politico, and on Tuesday his net worth fell from $15.6 billion to potentially below $1 billion, which Bloomberg called the biggest one-day collapse it had ever seen among billionaires. Rumors are now flying in the cryptosphere that he may even go bankrupt.

Federal regulators are now reportedly investigating FTX to determine whether it harmed clients or broke financial regulations after FTX’s implosion, as it saw $5 billion of withdrawals on Sunday alone, many of them prompted by a tweet from the CEO of rival exchange Binance that he was dumping FTX-linked coins. Binance then seemed to come to FTX’s rescue on Tuesday before ditching its 11th-hour bid to buy FTX the very next day. Cryptocurrency prices fell amid concerns about FTX’s solvency and fears of a possible contagion. It’s a head-spinning turn of events for FTX, which was valued north of $30 billion at its peak; and for the crypto space, which has declined in value from $3 trillion to below $2 trillion during this year’s Crypto Winter.

That’s a lot of wealth destroyed, leaving the crypto future uncertain, but it’s also potentially awkward for Democrats, who have drawn huge donations from crypto figures while taking tentative steps toward regulating the space this year. Bankman-Fried was a major donor to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election and is the primary donor to the Protect Our Future PAC, the political action committee which endorsed Democratic candidates such as Peter Welch, who this week won his bid to become Vermont’s next senator, and Robert J. Menendez of New Jersey, who secured a House seat.

Some Democrats are weighing in on the problems at FTX.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that “prudent regulation of cryptocurrencies is indeed needed” and the Biden admin and relevant government agencies will monitor the situation as it develops, adding that cryptocurrencies affect everyday Americans.

On Wednesday evening, Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted, “The collapse of one of the largest crypto platforms shows how much of the industry appears to be smoke and mirrors. We need more aggressive enforcement and I’m going to keep pushing @SECGov to enforce the law to protect consumers and financial stability.”


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bitcoin; cryptocurrency; ftx; ftxcryptoexchange; sambankmanfried; sbf
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He’s one of those guys that was claiming he was going to give away his entire fortune to the poor and the needy.

He certainly exemplifies the morals ethics of a Democrat, a liberal, and a progressive

1 posted on 11/11/2022 11:07:41 PM PST by NoLibZone
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To: NoLibZone

Rumor is that Tom and Giselle Brady were heavily invested in this.

That’s horrible if true.


2 posted on 11/11/2022 11:12:08 PM PST by Jonty30 (Some men want to see the world burn. It is they that want you to buy an electric car.)
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To: NoLibZone


hope btcoin goes to zero

fake nothing


3 posted on 11/11/2022 11:12:14 PM PST by 867V309 (Lock Her Up)
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To: NoLibZone
The Bernie Madoff of crypto, and everyone knew it. The only reason he lasted so long was his friendship with Gensler and the Democrats.

Another reason not to use non-custodial wallets; not your wallet, not your coins.

It’s great to see SBF’s downfall. Hopefully he’s in handcuffs in a few weeks.

4 posted on 11/11/2022 11:16:13 PM PST by GunRunner
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To: NoLibZone

This crypto positive dude had clown hair and a hyphenated last name. Hyphenated? How gay is this? He is or was a vegan.

The warning lights were on.


5 posted on 11/11/2022 11:23:08 PM PST by dennisw ("You don't have to like it. You just have to do it")
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To: NoLibZone

When Kevin Bacon’s investment in Bernie Madoff went up in smoke, he later admitted that the only asset to his name was his house. He lost everything else.


6 posted on 11/11/2022 11:27:35 PM PST by Jonty30 (Some men want to see the world burn. It is they that want you to buy an electric car.)
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To: NoLibZone

El Salvador got slammed by SBF’s ‘Opps, I F’d up’ moment.

‘El Salvador Loses BIG On Bitcoin Gamble’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RJ6oOlDeNU


7 posted on 11/12/2022 12:04:06 AM PST by cranked
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To: Jonty30

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is also rumored to have been invested in this.


8 posted on 11/12/2022 12:12:24 AM PST by Enterprise
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To: NoLibZone
And there's this:

Flash… FTX crypto exchange hacked, $700 million stolen and climbing… Developing

So cry me a river.

9 posted on 11/12/2022 12:17:54 AM PST by Enterprise
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To: Enterprise

Russell Okung is converting half his contract salary into Bitcoin.
https://sports.yahoo.com/russell-okung-will-have-half-his-13-million-salary-paid-in-bitcoin-154406450.html


10 posted on 11/12/2022 12:18:59 AM PST by Jonty30 (Some men want to see the world burn. It is they that want you to buy an electric car.)
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To: Enterprise

I was on shift with a young security guard that was heavily invested in E-currency. I told him to sell while he could buy metals and commodities. He had faith in his product, so I let him be.


11 posted on 11/12/2022 12:26:25 AM PST by Jonty30 (Some men want to see the world burn. It is they that want you to buy an electric car.)
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To: NoLibZone
This thing is something of a spectacular disaster and lots of investors are getting scalded. When it's all over:

I'm hoping that a lot of Democrats and ESG types are ruined. I hope they get seen digging from dumpsters for something to eat.

12 posted on 11/12/2022 12:28:10 AM PST by Enterprise
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To: Jonty30

Ouch. Poor timing.


13 posted on 11/12/2022 12:29:43 AM PST by Enterprise
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To: Jonty30
" I told him to sell while he could buy metals and commodities."

Looks like he's going to continue being a security guard.

14 posted on 11/12/2022 12:31:24 AM PST by Enterprise
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To: Enterprise

Haha, yep.


15 posted on 11/12/2022 12:32:16 AM PST by Jonty30 (Some men want to see the world burn. It is they that want you to buy an electric car.)
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To: NoLibZone

He was paying the democrat party to cover for his crimes.


16 posted on 11/12/2022 1:17:06 AM PST by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy everything now)
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To: NoLibZone

[Sam Bankman-Fried]

Sam
Bank
man
Fried


17 posted on 11/12/2022 2:01:42 AM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: GunRunner

[Another reason not to use non-custodial wallets; not your wallet, not your coins.]

I always figured this would happen. At least with a lot of them.


18 posted on 11/12/2022 2:03:56 AM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: 867V309

[hope bitcoin goes to zero]

They were sure pimping it in a lot of online games I played - on my phone


19 posted on 11/12/2022 2:04:53 AM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: Jonty30

Tom will be ok...he’s already signed a deal with Fox sports when he retires from football, at 30+ million a year.


20 posted on 11/12/2022 2:06:24 AM PST by Night Hides Not (Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Gonzales! Come and Take It!)
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