Disgraced FTX Founder Considered Paying Trump Not to Run for President

As the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the founder and former CEO of the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, approaches, new findings reveal that he considered paying former U.S. president Donald Trump $5 billion not to re-run for presidency. SBF believed that Trump posed a threat to democracy and wanted to help fund Republican candidates who were at odds with him.

SBF's Plan to Support Republican Candidates

According to Michael Lewis, the author of a new book documenting SBF's crypto journey, the FTX founder planned to donate millions of dollars to select politicians that U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell deemed fit to govern the U.S. SBF had already given tens of millions to support Republican candidates, with the current FTX management attempting to claw back the funds.

Upcoming Trial and Judge's Order

SBF's trial is set to commence on October 3 with jury selection, followed by the trial on October 4. Recently, Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered SBF not to blame FTX's counsel for the misconduct that led to the firm's collapse to avoid confusing the jury.