Who’s expected to testify before Congressional hearings on FTX?

United States lawmakers person been pushing for definite witnesses — including Sam Bankman-Fried — to look earlier committee hearings scheduled successful December. Who should the crypto abstraction expect to spot testifying connected the events starring to the downfall of FTX?

On Dec. 9, Bankman-Fried, oregon SBF, said — nether menace of a imaginable subpoena — that helium was consenting to speak astatine a U.S. House proceeding aimed astatine exploring FTX’s collapse. Leadership with some the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Banking Committee had suggested that they mightiness subpoena the erstwhile FTX CEO, prompting SBF to accidental connected Twitter helium was “willing to testify” connected Dec. 13.

At the clip of publication, SBF’s sanction did not appear arsenic a witnesser successful the House committee’s ‘Investigating the Collapse of FTX, Part I’ proceeding — suggesting much whitethorn beryllium planned successful the future. However, John Ray, who took implicit arsenic FTX CEO connected Nov. 11 pursuing SBF’s resignation, volition speak.

The Senate committee hearing, ‘Crypto Crash: Why the FTX Bubble Burst and the Harm to Consumers’, scheduled for Dec. 14, had Hollywood prima Ben McKenzie and instrumentality prof Hilary Allen connected its witnesser list. McKenzie, an histrion known for his roles connected The O.C. and Gotham, has been an outspoken critic of cryptocurrencies — peculiarly for celebrities endorsing projects.

It’s unclear astatine the clip of work who other successful the crypto abstraction oregon associated with FTX Group whitethorn attest earlier Congress successful December. In a Dec. 1 proceeding of the the Senate Agriculture Committee — the archetypal exploring FTX’s illness — Commodity Futures Trading Commission seat Rostin Behnam was the sole witness. The CFTC seat pointed to gaps successful the agency’s regulatory authority.

House Financial Services Committee seat Maxine Waters and ranking subordinate Patrick McHenry said successful November that they expected to perceive from “companies and individuals involved, including Alameda Research and Binance — suggesting efforts to person Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao oregon Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison speak. Ellison was reportedly spotted successful New York City connected Dec. 4 and not successful the Bahamas, wherever Bankman-Fried and different FTX executives inactive reside.

‘Shark Tank’ prima and capitalist Kevin O'Leary said successful a Dec. 8 interrogation that Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey — ranking subordinate of the Senate Banking Committee — had asked him to talk earlier lawmakers connected Dec. 14. O'Leary claimed FTX had paid him $15 million to beforehand the crypto exchange, but helium ended up losing astir $10 cardinal erstwhile the steadfast folded. His sanction did not look connected immoderate witnesser database astatine the clip of publication.

Guy got paid $15 cardinal to peddle this crap to others and present he’s a victim? Guess we’ll find retired soon capable https://t.co/pgdKICEiq1

— Ben McKenzie (@ben_mckenzie) December 8, 2022

Related: 7 people enactment lawsuits person been filed against SBF truthful far, records show

Bankman-Fried had seemingly been attempting to hold appearances with U.S. officials regarding the events starring to FTX’s downfall, but gave interviews with assorted media outlets, repeatedly apologizing for his relation successful the exchange’s collapse. Should helium attest earlier Congress, it’s unclear whether SBF plans to look successful idiosyncratic — which mightiness enactment him astatine hazard of apprehension — oregon remotely from the Bahamas.