Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried’s defense attorney Mark Cohen heard testimony from the former FTX CEO on his relationship with Caroline Ellison and political donations from the crypto exchange.
According to reports from the courtroom on Oct. 27, Bankman-Fried claimed not to have discussed donations to U.S. politicians with former FTX engineering director Nishad Singh and former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame. SBF reportedly said the donations made in his name came from “loans from Alameda Research” as part of efforts to influence U.S. government’s policies on regulating crypto.
“I thought policy was important. Congress and the executive branch… Some were [supportive of] FTX for cryptocurrency lobbying. Some, not most.”
Cohen also posed more personal questions seemingly unrelated to the allegations SBF was facing in court. The defense lawyer asked Bankman-Fried what led to the end of his relationship with Ellison.
“She wanted more than I could give,” the former FTX CEO reportedly said, referring to Ellison. “It wasn’t the first time with me.”
During her testimony, Ellison said the relationship ended, as SBF “wasn’t spending much time” with her. Cohen asked the former FTX CEO the reasons behind his style, with SBF replying…
