Posted on 07/19/2023 5:49:15 AM PDT by george76
Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke won praise last year after he pledged to return a massive campaign contribution from Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced cryptocurrency kingpin charged with defrauding customers out of billions of dollars. But campaign finance records show the failed political candidate has not lived up to that promise nearly eight months later.
O'Rourke has kept $100,000 that Bankman-Fried donated to O'Rourke's failed gubernatorial campaign, according to campaign finance disclosures released this week. A spokesman for O'Rourke said in November that the campaign had returned an "unsolicited" $1 million donation from Bankman-Fried just before the Nov. 8 election. O'Rourke received positive media attention for announcing the refund, with one political scientist saying it "looks good" for O'Rourke to return Bankman-Fried's donation.
The Washington Free Beacon reported in January that O'Rourke's campaign refunded just $900,000 to Bankman-Fried and that it was placing the additional $100,000 into a fund for "victims of FTX's collapse." Campaign filings released this week do not show any refunds or payments related to the remaining $100,000.
O'Rourke clings to the cash even amid a series of damning developments in Bankman-Fried's case. Bankman-Fried was indicted in December on fraud and campaign finance charges, then slapped with additional charges in February. Prosecutors accused him of making tens of millions of dollars in political donations to "improve his personal standing" in Washington, D.C., and "curry favor" with candidates who could pass legislation favorable to his crypto trading company FTX. Former FTX executive Nishad Singh pleaded guilty in February to fraud and campaign finance charges. He contributed $100,000 to the O'Rourke campaign.
In February, the Justice Department issued letters to campaigns and political committees demanding that they forward donations from Bankman-Fried to the U.S. Marshals Service. Many recipients of Bankman-Fried's ill-gotten gains have complied. Rep. Rubén Gallego (D., Ariz.), for example, in March "disgorged" a $2,900 donation from Bankman-Fried by cutting a check to the U.S. Marshals Service, his campaign disclosures show.
O'Rourke, whose campaign has $166,758 in the bank, has not said whether he plans to run for political office in the future. Should he decide to run for office, he will likely be allowed to fund it with contributions from his gubernatorial campaign war chest. But the former congressman has faced a series of political losses in recent years. He lost in 2022 against Texas Republican governor Greg Abbott and in 2018 against Republican senator Ted Cruz. He dropped out of the 2020 Democratic field two months before the first primary.
Bankman-Fried contributed more than $40 million to Democratic candidates and political action committees, including $5 million to a political action committee that supported Joe Biden's 2020 campaign. He gave $300,000 to Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees the cryptocurrency industry.
The donations opened doors for Bankman-Fried in Washington. He visited the White House at least four times in 2022, meeting with Biden's top adviser, Steve Ricchetti, and other aides. He also attended a Philadelphia retreat last year for House Democrats, where he rubbed shoulders with Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.), who at the time was chairwoman of the House Financial Services panel.
No one cares about the Irish “Mexican” anymore. He’s toast.
That's the way the system works now.
Beto? Oh no. There must be an election coming up again.
Well, he said he would giveback, just never WHEN he would return.... 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
To be diverse, inclusive and equitable, SBF has not yet been convicted. Beto is waiting for a verdict.
He shoda went up against Cornyn instead of Cruz. Obama struck while the iron was hot and McLame was just that-lame. Think of how close that queer black fella came to defeating DeSantis. It’s more than the iron being hot and the opponent being ripe for picking. Obama kept his pants on. BJ talked his way out of it with the help of ‘60 Minutes’.
Beto screwed up and paid the price. Unforced errors. Our candidates don’t fight.
BJ played the saxophone, BO played basketball, Beto played the skateboard.
If any of you NEED a reason to skip eating and diet, here’s your incentive (sorry, I was ill after seeing it once again)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJvOyaGoAFE
I like the doofus in the fake afro and sunglasses, too embarrassed to be there and I like the guy checking his cellphone.
LOLOLOLOL
Beto The Fake Mexican is a scumbag so this should not surprise anyone.
Beto the Mexican. ALMOST got away with it. Nice try though.
Beto CANNOT pay the money - he has already spent it, and there is not enough additional revenue from other contributions to cover the shortfall.
How did the mentally ill, queer, luggage thief make a million dollars to give to Beta?
You’re thinking of the wrong weirdo named “Sam”.
Ahhhh…. Yes. I got the bald transvestite thief mixed up with the ponzi-scheme thief.
SBF is the greatest untold story since NPR fired 14 top execs and talent during #MeToo and not one gd Republican called for an investigation. FOURTEEN.
And even then, 14 does not hold a candle to SBF illegally funneling upwards of half a billon in dark money to Democrat candidates. Nothing but crickets.
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