In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, President Donald Trump said he has no plans to pardon former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, pushing back on speculation that the imprisoned crypto founder could receive clemency. Trump made the comment during a two-hour sit-down that covered foreign policy, domestic politics and several high-profile legal cases. He listed Bankman-Fried among names he was asked about but said he does not intend to grant relief to the ex-exchange executive. Bankman-Fried was convicted in 2023 on multiple fraud and conspiracy counts tied to the collapse of FTX. Prosecutors say he misused billions of dollars in customer funds; he is serving a 25-year sentence and is pursuing an appeal to overturn the conviction. The president’s stance comes despite recent pardons for other crypto figures since he returned to office: former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao and Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht both received clemency. That contrast has intensified attention on who might be eligible for presidential mercy in crypto-related cases. Bankman-Fried has continued to seek public attention while incarcerated, with posts attributed to him appearing on X via an associate. In December he publicly praised Trump’s decision to pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, suggesting clemency could be appropriate in other instances. The interview also touched on politics and money: federal records show Bankman-Fried was a major Democratic donor in the 2020 cycle, contributing millions to Joe Biden’s campaign. Trump used the conversation to defend his support for the broader cryptocurrency industry, even as members of his family’s digital-asset ventures face scrutiny from lawmakers drafting new regulation. For the crypto sector, the exchange of pardons—and Trump’s explicit refusal to extend one to Bankman-Fried—underscores how legal outcomes and political calculations continue to shape the industry’s high-profile narratives. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

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