- The White House declined to answer questions on Sam Bankman-Fried’s donations to the United States President Biden’s campaign.
- The press secretary invokes the Hatch Act when ducking questions about the donations.
- In a court hearing on December 13th, SBF was charged with violating the Federal Elections Commission’s operations, among many other charges.
The White House secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, has ducked questions from a reporter on whether U.S. President Joe Biden will return the $5.2 million previously given by the disgraced FTX founder, SBF.
In a press briefing on December 13, Associated reporter Zeke Miller asked the White House secretary,’’ will the President return that donation? Does he call on all politicians who got campaign donations that may have come from user money to return those funds?’’
In response, Jean-Pierre said, “I am covered here by the Hatch Act,” adding that she was “limited on what I can say.”
The Hatch Act is a Federal statute prohibiting those working for the executive branch of government from being involved in campaign activities.
Jean-Pierre further noted that’’ anything that’s connected to political contributions, from here I would have to refer you to the DNC.’’ The DNC refers to the Democratic National Committee- the body in charge of governing the affairs of the United States Democratic Party.
‘’I’m asking about the president’s opinion, though?’’ Miller further pressed. However, Jean-Pierre stayed rooted in her answer that she was ‘’covered by the Hatch Act,’’ noting:
“I can’t talk to political contributions or anything related to that. I cannot speak about it from here.”
Miller didn’t give up as she pressed for Jean-Pierre’s response to Biden’s opinion. Still, Pierre noted that she couldn’t speak, “even his opinion, even his thoughts about the contributions, donations – I cannot speak…about that from here.’’
In a court hearing on December 13, Bankman-Fried was charged with violations of campaign finance laws, including obstructing the Federal Election Commission’s rules of making contributions in other people’s names and violating the contribution laws.
Other contributions made by SBF
With $5.2 million in donations, SBF was the second prominent CEO contributor to Biden’s 2020 presidential campaigns, trailing behind the media mogul Michael Bloomberg, with $56 million in contributions.
Additionally, the FTX founder contributed to the Democratic Party in the 2022 midterm elections, coming second in the cycle with $3.6 million channeled to its candidates. In an interview conducted by cryptocurrency vlogger Tiffany Fong last month, Mr. Bankman said that he had donated dark money to both Democratic and Republican candidates to evade media scrutiny.
However, the Justice Department noted that “SBF and his conspirators made a significant amount of money in political contributions funded by Alameda Research to Federal political candidates and committees in the 2022 mid-term election.”
SBF is remanded at the Bahamas Department of Correction until February 2023 following an order by the Bahamas Chief Magistrate JoyAnn Ferguson-Pratt during a court hearing conducted on December 13, pending investigations of the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange.
On the receiving end of Bankman-Fried’s, politicians and other FTX executives’ political donations may be forced to return the contributions to the bankrupt company due to the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.
Noteworthy, other politicians have resorted to giving away their cash to charity as a way of distancing themselves from the insolvent FTX and its donations.
