Sam Bankman-Fried Agrees to Testify Before US House Financial Committee
Sam Bankman-Fried, the former chief executive of failed crypto exchange FTX, has said he'll testify at a Dec. 13 meeting of the House Financial Services Committee.
Bankman-Fried Friday tweeted he was "willing" to testify in response to requests from committee chair Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) who had said his attendance was "imperative."
1) I still do not have access to much of my data -- professional or personal. So there is a limit to what I will be able to say, and I won't be as helpful as I'd like.
But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify on the 13th. https://t.co/KR34BsNaG1— SBF (@SBF_FTX) December 9, 2022
Bankman-Fried said his contribution would be limited, as he says he still does not have access to the personal and professional data that could underpin testimony.
He resigned on Nov. 11, the day the company filed for bankruptcy protection in the aftermath of revelations published in CoinDesk concerning FTX's relationship to sister company Alameda Research.
Waters tweeted on Wednesday night that a subpoena was "definitely on the table" should Bankman-Fried decline to attend. Since resigning, allegations have emerged of poor governance, inadequate risk management and inappropriate use of customer funds at the exchange under Bankman-Fried's leadership.
Prior to his resignation he was a major political donor and influential figure in Washington, D.C., backing a bill to regulate digital commodities.
Read more: CFTC Chairman Suggests 'Pause' to Overhaul Senate Bill Following FTX Debacle
UPDATE (Dec. 9, 12:30 UTC): Adds additional details in the fifth and sixth paragraph.
