United States lawmakers have been pushing for certain witnesses — including Sam Bankman-Fried — to appear before committee hearings scheduled in December. Who should the crypto space expect to see testifying on the events leading to the downfall of FTX?
On Dec. 9, Bankman-Fried, or SBF, said — under threat of a potential subpoena — that he was willing to speak at a U.S. House hearing aimed at exploring FTX’s collapse. Leadership with both the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Banking Committee had suggested that they might subpoena the former FTX CEO, prompting SBF to say on Twitter he was “willing to testify” on Dec. 13.
At the time of publication, SBF’s name did not appear as a witness in the House committee’s ‘Investigating the Collapse of FTX, Part I’ hearing — suggesting more may be planned in the future. However, John Ray, who took over as FTX CEO on Nov. 11 following SBF’s resignation, will speak.
The Senate committee hearing, ‘Crypto Crash: Why the FTX Bubble Burst and the Harm to Consumers’, scheduled for Dec. 14, had Hollywood star Ben McKenzie and law professor Hilary Allen on its witness list. McKenzie, an actor known for his roles on The O.C. and Gotham, has been an outspoken critic of cryptocurrencies — particularly for celebrities endorsing projects.
It’s unclear at the time of publication who else in the crypto space or associated with FTX Group may testify before Congress in December. In a Dec. 1 hearing of the the Senate Agriculture Committee — the first exploring FTX’s collapse — Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair Rostin Behnam was the sole witness. The CFTC chair pointed to gaps in the agency’s regulatory authority.
House Financial Services Committee chair Maxine Waters and ranking
Read more on cointelegraph.com