The U.S. Senate unanimously opposes the pardon of Sam Bankman-Fried: a political maneuver or a legal formality?
The U.S. Senate has once again made it clear that the fate of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is not a matter for political bargaining. Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ruben Gallego have introduced a joint resolution directly aimed at the possibility of a presidential pardon for the convicted crypto mogul. Although this document has no binding legal force and cannot block a decision by the head of state, its emergence is a powerful political signal.
Recall that in 2023, a jury found Bankman-Fried guilty on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy. Judge Lewis Kaplan sentenced him to 25 years in prison and ordered the forfeiture of $11 billion. According to the prosecution, the scheme deprived FTX clients of over $8 billion. At the end of April 2026, Judge Kaplan rejected the defense's request for a new trial, and last week, the Federal Appeals Court upheld the verdict.
The text of the resolution emphasizes that the 25-year sentence "is commensurate with the exceptional scale and deliberateness of his crimes, his lack of remorse, and the catastrophic harm to millions of victims." This is a direct reference to the principles of justice, which, in the senators' view, should not be trampled by a political decision.
Pardon Application and Political Context
Bankman-Fried himself has already filed a pardon application with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Pardon Attorney. His request is under review. It is known that the former FTX head openly supported Donald Trump in his posts, and his parents, according to media reports, are actively lobbying for their son's interests, having hired lawyers connected to the former president's circle.
However, in January, Trump ruled out the possibility of a pardon for Bankman-Fried. If the sentence remains unchanged, he could only be released in 2044. Notably, according to some reports, after his release, Bankman-Fried plans to launch a new crypto token, which seems more like a fantasy than a realistic plan.
My analysis: This resolution is not so much a legal tool as an attempt by Congress to cement its position in the public sphere. Given the scale of the damage and Bankman-Fried's lack of remorse, any presidential pardon would be a political bombshell capable of undermining trust in the judicial system. The current consensus in Washington is clear: Sam's fate should remain in the hands of justice, not political will.