Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee Maxine Waters said on Thursday that she is figuring out the best approach to subpoena FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried if he declines to come before the panel next week.
Our desire for Sam to attend our hearing on December 13 has been made known. We are ready to issue a subpoena if he refuses to comply, Waters stated in a U.S. interview. Capitol. FTX’s senior executives, including Bankman-Fried, are being looked at by regulators throughout the world, notably in the Bahamas, where the company is based, and in the US, according to a previous report by Reuters. Bankman-Fried has not been accused of any crimes by the prosecution or the authorities.
A subpoena may be issued since Bankman-Fried missed the deadline on Thursday night to answer to a Senate Banking Committee’s request for testimony. Waters stated that she has the power to issue subpoenas on her own, but she also has the option to submit them for committee approval. She said that so yet, no decision has been taken. We would most likely have a vote, she replied. “I have to decide how we handle it with Mr. McHenry. But we’ll send out a subpoena.
“He can choose to participate or not. And at that point, we decide,” Waters added. She refused to specify whether Bankman-Fried would be obliged to present in person or could testify by video connection, saying only that it was “only proper and right, and makes good sense to say we want you here.” A Bankman-Fried representative declined to comment. McHenry’s office was unavailable for comment right away.
