The trial for Sam Bankman-Fried begins on 3 October, on which new details emerge from the words of writer Michael Lewis
- Renowned author Michael Lewis analyses the rise and fall of FTX exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried in his new book ‘Going Infinite’.
- Bankman-Fried, accused of federal fraud, allegedly tried to offer billions to Donald Trump to ward off a presidential bid by him.
- Political donations, including a $5.2 million gift to Joe Biden, put in the spotlight.
The much-anticipated case of Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the bankrupt exchange FTX, will begin on Tuesday 3 October. Bankman-Fried is facing federal fraud charges. The analysis of his meteoric rise and subsequent decline forms the core of renowned author Michael Lewis‘ new book, ‘Going Infinite‘.
The offer to Donald Trump
According to Lewis’s revelations, Bankman-Fried allegedly hatched a plan to offer billions of dollars to Donald Trump with the aim of stopping his attempts to win the presidency. The FTX founder saw Trump as an ‘existential risk‘ to his goals. However, this offer never came to life, as the FTX exchange ran into financial difficulties. It is said that the amount needed to convince Trump to withdraw from the presidential race was close to $5 billion.
The well-known political donations
Lewis’ book on Bankman-Fried’s life raised a number of questions about SBF’s integrity and financial operations. Already in 2020, his political donations had come under the spotlight: he had donated $5.2 million to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign and $40 million to other members of the US Democratic Party.
