FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Talks Prison Life, Politics, and Crypto Regulation

On March 5, he gave an interview from prison, sharing his thoughts on his situation and the state of crypto regulation in the US.

Speaking with political commentator Tucker Carlson, Bankman-Fried described his daily life in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He said that no former FTX employees have visited him, and his meals mostly consist of rice and beans.

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He also suggested that those once close to him faced heavy legal pressure. He said, "Anyone who was close to me ended up with a gun to their head, being told that they had two options, and one of them involved decades in prison".

During the interview, Bankman-Fried discussed his political contributions, stating that while he was known for donating to Democratic candidates, he had likely given just as much to Republicans. He also claimed he had never asked lawmakers for help when facing legal trouble, saying he did not want to do anything inappropriate.

Carlson did not directly ask whether Bankman-Fried hoped for a pardon from President Donald Trump, but the conversation touched on topics that aligned with Republican views. At one point, Bankman-Fried insisted:

I don’t think I was a criminal.

He also called the charges against his former associate Salame "totally bogus", suggesting they may have been politically motivated.

On February 25, Bankman-Fried returned to X after nearly two years of silence. What did he post? Read the full story.