Sam Bankman-Fried's Meetings with U.S. Officials: What Went Down?

Meeting Mania

In 2022, the former CEO of FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, apparently had a fondness for the White House, meeting with government officials on at least four different occasions. Talk about a revolving door! One could question if he was trying to get a coffee machine installed for all those times he was in there.

Logged and Loaded

Many of these meetings were uncovered in visitor logs that the White House graciously shares monthly. Bankman-Fried was spotted meeting Counselor to the President Steve Ricchetti on not one, but two occasions—April 22 and May 12, before he met policy adviser Charlotte Butash on May 13. If you’re keeping score, that’s three meetings in under a month. Not bad for a guy whose crypto empire was about to take a nosedive!

The Mystery Meeting

However, intrigue thickens like a dark roast coffee when a Bloomberg report surfaced, stating that Bankman-Fried met Ricchetti again on September 8—this time, however, his visit went unrecorded. This begs the question: What was so important that they couldn’t commit it to the logs? Was there an unannounced plan to turn the Oval Office into a crypto haven?

Crypto Curiosity

Naturally, the crypto community was abuzz with theories. Could these meetings have been part of an elaborate scheme? Or was it just a case of two folks with a hobby talking shop over a hot cup of Joe? Some individuals even chimed in on social media questioning the nature of these exchanges, with one saying, “Biden needs to explain what his administration was doing meeting so often with crypto fraudster SBF.” Ouch, shots fired!

Political Donations: The Dark Side

While he technically called the Bahamas home, Bankman-Fried was as cozy in Washington as a cat on a sunny windowsill. He was known to throw his weight around in the crypto regulatory scene, pushing lawmakers to consider decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms over centralized exchanges like FTX. Oh, and let’s not forget—he was no stranger to political donations. He allegedly spread his contributions around, giving generously to the Democrats while claiming that his Republican donations were quite “dark.” Talk about a political tightrope!