Former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried’s recent statement about donating “dark money” to Republican campaigns is “flatly untrue” according to Puck News.
Bankman-Fried told crypto YouTuber Tiffany Fong in a Nov. 29 interview “all my Republican donations were dark” and “reporters freak the fuck out if you donate to a Republican.” He gave “about the same amount” to Republicans, without specifying any further details.
An SBF adviser told a source of mine that his recent claim — that SBF has donated as much to Republicans as he did to Democrats — was flatly untrue.https://t.co/nABD9RwlLM
— Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) December 3, 2022
An adviser to Bankman-Fried told a source close to Puck News that his comments were untrue, but Bankman-Fried did develop a “Republican money strategy,” according to Puck. He was concerned a Republican takeover of congress would leave him poorly positioned in Washington, Puck reported.
In the final days before the election, Bankman-Fried’s crypto exchange FTX donated $1 million to Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, to “hedge the bet” made on Democrats, Puck specified. FTX hired top Republican fundraising strategist Paula Dukes to “have more parity” and make inroads on the right, Puck added. (RELATED: ‘Likely The Fastest Corporate Failure In American History’: DOJ Watchdog Calls For Probe Of Bankman-Fried’s FTX)
Bankman-Fried personally donated over $36 million to Democrats in the 2022 midterm cycle, making him the party’s second largest donor, according to campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets. He was the sixth largest midterm donor overall, spending over $39 million, OpenSecrets recorded.
Public records show Bankman-Fried gave relatively small personal donations to multiple Republican senate campaigns and affiliated groups. His previous comments suggested the donations were only a fraction of what he actually spent on Republicans in the midterms.