Many in the crypto space have accused the mainstream media of intentionally trying to dilute the shares of FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Friedincluded Tesla CEO Elon Muskwho is on a self-proclaimed mission to position Twitter as “the most accurate source of information.”
As the world is still grappling with the shock of the FTX collapse and the realization that SBF had misappropriated user funds and engaged in shady investment practices through its sister trading company, Will Manidis, CEO of ScienceIO, a healthcare data platform, tweeted that SBF made one of the “highest ROI deals of all time” by donating $40 million to the right politicians, who he says allowed him to steal more than $10k. millions.
That’s just the publicly revealed number. His actual support for the Democratic race is likely to exceed $1 billion. The money went somewhere, so where did it go?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 3, 2022
Musk responded to the tweet, claiming that the amount of money SBF actually donated to Democratic candidates exceeded $1 billion, which would be far more than the publicly disclosed amount of $40 million. SBF previously accepted to make “dark” donations to the Republican Party. Musk asked:
“His actual support for the Democratic election is probably well over a billion dollars. The money went somewhere, so where did it go?
Meanwhile, US House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters, a Democrat, and Ranking Member Patrick McHenry, a Republican, have requested that SBF appear at an investigative hearing scheduled for December 13
.@SBF_FTXWe appreciate that you have been candid in your discussions about what happened in #FTX. Your willingness to speak to the public will help customers, investors, and others in the company. To that end, we would appreciate your participation in our hearing on the 13th.
— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) December 2, 2022
Polygon CEO Ryan Wyatt responded to Waters’ request stating that “he is [SBF] a criminal. What’s happening.”
related: FTX Collapse Sparks Curiosity Around Sam Bankman-Fried, Google Data Shows
This latest round of backlash against SBF comes shortly after he gave interviews during The New York Times DealBook Summit and to Good morning america.
During his so-called “apology tour”, SBF has portrayed himself as a victim and even received a round of applause at the end of his DealBook Summit appearance. According to Twitter user and developer Naomi, “Watching the SBF interview is like watching the Casey Anthony documentary. They are so mechanical, they are so inauthentic in their delivery. If you feel any emotion, at all, it slows people down. The way it is expressed is a separate subjective matter.”
Update (Dec 5, 10:10pm UTC): This article previously stated that Bankman-Fried admitted to making clandestine donations to the Democratic Party. It was updated to reflect that her obscure donations went to the Republican Party.
