Tucker Carlson’s surprise jailhouse interview with Sam Bankman-Fried, a convicted crypto scammer, has sparked controversy among Bankman-Fried’s crisis team. Mark Botnick, the former crisis manager representing Bankman-Fried since FTX’s collapse in 2022, resigned after learning of the interview.
Botnick stated that he had no involvement in planning the interview and no longer represents Bankman-Fried as of Thursday. The crypto mogul is serving a 25-year prison sentence for an $11 billion fraud and money-laundering scheme through FTX.
The conversation with Carlson came as Bankman-Fried attempted to fish for a pardon from President Donald Trump, according to Bloomberg News. However, the former Fox News host raised the topic of potential pardons during their interview, asking Bankman-Fried how old he would be when released, with an expected age in his late 40s.
Bankman-Fried had considered an interview with Carlson at the time of FTX’s collapse as a way to restore his reputation and promote a pro-Republican agenda. However, the post has become public as part of his criminal case and contains unvetted ideas about coming out as a Republican and railing against the “woke agenda.”
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-bankman-fried-crisis-pr-manager-resigns-tucker-carlson-interview-2025-3