Shark Tank Star Kevin O’Leary Defends Support of Crypto Exchange FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried

1 year ago

Shark Tank prima Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, has defended his enactment of the collapsed crypto speech FTX and its erstwhile CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF). “This is America. The justness strategy provides the presumption of innocence unless proven otherwise,” helium stressed. O’Leary besides denied the accusation by Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) that helium perjured himself successful a U.S. Senate proceeding implicit wherefore FTX failed.

Kevin O’Leary connected FTX’s Collapse

Shark Tank prima Kevin O’Leary defended his presumption arsenic a spokesperson for the collapsed crypto speech FTX successful an interrogation with CNBC Friday. He besides commented connected Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) calling him a liar.

When asked wherefore helium did not stridently condemn erstwhile FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), O’Leary replied:

This is America. The justness strategy provides the presumption of innocence unless proven otherwise.

The erstwhile FTX enforcement was arrested successful the Bahamas past week. The U.S. authorities and respective regulators person filed a fig of fraud charges against him and his crypto exchange. O’Leary was FTX’s spokesperson and an capitalist successful the speech erstwhile it collapsed. The institution paid him astir $15 cardinal to go its spokesperson, which the Shark Tank prima said was mislaid erstwhile the speech filed for bankruptcy.

When asked, “Are you inactive conflating wealth you got paid by FTX that you lost, oregon did you really put immoderate of your ain funds?” the Shark Tank prima replied: “Money is fungible.” CNBC’s Joe Kernen past noted: “So you didn’t. Once again, you’re a task capitalist who ventured your name … You didn’t adjacent wage your ain wealth connected the taxes.”

O’Leary was past asked by Andrew Ross Sorkin: “What bash you deliberation happened? Do you judge this was a fraud?” Emphasizing that helium doesn’t “have the facts” and the new FTX CEO besides “doesn’t person them yet,” Mr. Wonderful replied:

I’m looking for my records. I’m consenting to money a forensic audit of our accounts. I’d similar to cognize what happened, obviously. There’s a batch of atrocious things that person been alleged here. No question astir it. Some of them are going to beryllium true, likely, due to the fact that determination is nary wealth there. Somewhere the currency is gone.

O’Leary Responds to Binance CEO CZ’s Accusation

Following O’Leary’s grounds earlier the Senate Banking Committee stating that helium believes FTX failed due to the fact that rival crypto speech Binance intentionally put it retired of business, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) called the Shark Tank prima a liar.

Mr. Wonderful stressed:

Yesterday, connected the air, CZ called maine a liar. Then helium suggested I perjured myself successful beforehand of the U.S. Senate for 2 hours this week. I tin guarantee you that’s not the case.

“Another small parable present you should understand,” O’Leary continued. He proceeded to explicate that his commencement begetter was Irish, adding that erstwhile helium was young, his begetter told him: “Son, ne'er telephone an Irishman a liar, unless you cognize with certainty that it’s true.” The Shark Tank prima past asked his father: “Why is that dad?” His begetter replied: “Because the Irish are crazy.”

Referring to CZ’s accusation, Mr. Wonderful emphasized, “I’m not blessed astir this,” adding:

At the extremity of the time I person nary sick volition towards this guy, but he’s portion of the communicative too.

Before FTX collapsed, O’Leary almost secured $8 cardinal to prevention the crypto speech from having to record for bankruptcy. He said that Bankman-Fried is 1 of the champion traders successful the crypto abstraction and helium volition back the FTX co-founder again if helium has different venture.

What bash you deliberation astir the comments by Kevin O’Leary? Let america cognize successful the comments conception below.

Kevin Helms

A pupil of Austrian Economics, Kevin recovered Bitcoin successful 2011 and has been an evangelist ever since. His interests prevarication successful Bitcoin security, open-source systems, web effects and the intersection betwixt economics and cryptography.

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