Trump: Not considering pardoning SBF

On January 9th, U.S. President Trump explicitly stated in an interview with The New York Times that he would not consider pardoning FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF). SBF was convicted in 2023 on multiple charges including embezzlement of customer funds and financial fraud, becoming one of the most iconic criminal cases in the history of the cryptocurrency industry. During the interview, Trump mentioned that when asked by the reporter whether several high-profile inmates might receive presidential pardons, SBF was among them but was explicitly excluded. Trump stated that he has no intention of exercising the pardon power for individuals including SBF. The report also revealed that musician Sean Combs (Diddy) had written to Trump requesting a pardon but was similarly denied. In contrast, Trump has indeed exercised his pardon power in recent years for some political allies or individuals supporting his narrative of “judicial politicization,” but SBF is not within his consideration. Analysts point out that Trump’s statement indicates that: in the foreseeable future, the possibility of SBF being released early through a presidential pardon is extremely low, and his criminal and civil proceedings will continue. This will also have a lasting impact on discussions about compliance and regulation in the cryptocurrency industry.