Elon Musk Would Be ‘Shocked’ If Biden Fails To Pardon Sam Bankman-Fried — but Is Trump a Better Bet for the Fallen FTX Founder?

The world’s richest man suggests that the political donations handed out by Bankman-Fried could yield clemency.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
FTX chief executive officer Sam Bankman-Fried arrives for a bail hearing at Manhattan Federal Court on August 11, 2023 at New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, would be “shocked” if the fallen FTX mogul, Sam Bankman-Fried, fails to receive a pardon from President Biden — but the shifting politics of crypto could mean clemency would be more likely from President Trump.

Mr. Musk on Monday on X responded to speculation from an account called Wall Street Mav, which boasts a million and a half followers. Wall Street Mav speculated: “Guess who might get an early pardon from President Biden. The #2 largest donor to the Democrats. …” Those words were the caption for a computer-generated picture of Mr. Biden and Bankman-Fried.

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