The Democrats’ Senate Majority PAC announced it will return the $3 million in donations from former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and the former FTX head of engineering, Nishad Singh, according to the political action committee.
The PAC spent at least $160 million supporting Democrat candidates for Senate in 2022, and a few select Republicans.
“Following the serious allegations against FTX, Senate Majority PAC previously set aside the contribution amounts from Sam Bankman-Fried and Nishad Singh with the intention of returning the funds once we receive proper direction from federal law enforcement officials based on their legal proceedings,” a PAC spokeswoman told CNBC on Tuesday.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who received the maximum contribution to her campaign from a disgraced cryptocurrency crook, will not return the funds so they can be redistributed to investors in FTX. Instead, she has donated those funds to a Homer nonprofit, Storyknife Writers Retreat in Homer. Murkowski received about $14,000 from Sam Bankman-Fried, his brother, and another executive at FTX.
FTX bilked thousands of investors out of their cryptocurrency investments, and used those funds to get Democrats elected into office.
Murkowski’s campaign told Anchorage Daily News reporters she donated $14,200 to the nonprofit as soon after the news of the cryptocurrency fraud was made public.
“FTX entered bankruptcy filings on Nov. 11, and Murkowski made a donation of $14,100 to Storyknife Writers Retreat in Homer on Nov. 22, according to Federal Elections Commissions records. The donation was made weeks before Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas earlier this week,” the ADN reported. Bankman-Fried was arrested three weeks after Murkowski handed over the money to a retreat for women writers, where there is a cabin sponsored by a family member associated with the senator.
The Storyknife Writers Retreat has a Murkowski family connection. One of the cabins is named for the senator’s sister, Carol Murkowski Sturgulewski, as a naming opportunity sponsored by the late State Sen. Arliss Sturgulewski, who served in the Legislature from 1979 to 1993. Naming rights for cabins at the retreat went for about $50,000.
But the bankruptcy court says it will claw back that type of re-distribution of those funds, which belong to debtors.
FTX is trying to get the payments made to politicians back and “intends to commence actions before the bankruptcy court to require the return of such payments, with interest accruing from the date any action is commenced”, the company said. Recipients of the ill-gotten gains can voluntarily return the money and avoid court action by contacting [email protected].
“Recipients are cautioned that making a payment or donation to a third party (including a charity) in the amount of any payment received from a FTX contributor does not prevent the FTX debtors from seeking recovery from the recipient or any subsequent transferee,” FTX said in a statement.
“FTX Trading Ltd. (d.b.a. FTX.com), and its affiliated debtors (together, the ‘FTX Debtors’), today announced the FTX Debtors have been approached by a number of recipients of contributions or other payments that were made by or at the direction of the FTX Debtors, Samuel Bankman-Fried or other officers or principals of the FTX Debtors (collectively, the ‘FTX Contributors’). These recipients have requested directions for the return of such funds to the FTX Debtors. The FTX Debtors are working with these recipients to secure the prompt return of such funds to the FTX Estates for the benefit of customers and creditors,” the press release reads.
“The FTX Debtors invite all recipients of such payments to contact the FTX Debtors at ([email protected]) to make arrangements for the return of such payments. To the extent such payments are not returned voluntarily, the FTX Debtors intend to commence actions before the Bankruptcy Court to require the return of such payments, with interest accruing from the date any action is commenced. Recipients are cautioned that making a payment or donation to a third party (including a charity) in the amount of any payment received from a FTX Contributor does not prevent the FTX Debtors from seeking recovery from the recipient or any subsequent transferee,” the company said.
So, based on the previous stories, was it the $14k that allowed Senator Murkowski to persevere in the election? I wholeheartedly agree SBF was a low life thief who wanted to buy as many politicians as he could to further his business interests. So how about a discussion about outlawing these limitless PACs and we quit treating corporations as citizens? Money is harming elections, and that has been frequently pointed out in this very online publication. Forget red or blue, let’s just get rid of the unlimited cash for Petola and McConnell!
I have known Lisa Murkowski over the years as a straight shooter and her election victory was easier than her previous elections as she won the first round, did not need RCV to win and thank God we did not loose her. Alaskans won, transients, carpet baggers lost.
Transients, carpet baggers, and outsiders were her donors. Oh and thieves. Murkey is a lowlife fraud. She pretends to be conservative right up until she votes then she is a liberal progressive.
Sir Richard; Aunt Lisa could have won without any money 😉
Lets see what those 87,000 new IRS agents have to say. My bet is the bankruptcy court wins, as they should. Lisa, give the ,oney back where it came from, that is the law. Not that you EVER have to follow the law…
So Lisa stole from investors to give to nonprofits. What a wonderful country we have. People actually vote for this.
Murkowski Only won through dark money and ballot harvesting. She clearly did not win on popularity and truth; as any real Alaskan saw right through her deception of lies that she is still spewing out.
ON RECORD:
1. Voted 80% Biden Administration
2. Voted Deb Holland (destroyed AK oil)
3. Voted Superior Justice Jackson
4. Voted against DOD pensions & pay raises
*simply is everything against every Alaskan
*simply a treasonous traiter for AK & USA
She is not a Republican and she is worse than a Democrat. She is an insider threat to the Republican Party, and worse for every working Alaskan and the American way of life.
So dod Dan. People need to pay more attention to milquetoast Dan, but they don’t cuz he’s Mr. Military. Not that the US has actually fought a legitimate war for “freedom and ‘democracy” since forever. It’s all aggressive intervention and regime change and more.
We wreck the world. Dan Sullivan is a terrible senator.
And the other shoe drops. Murkowski’s actions were illegal and immoral.
The porkfest Murkowski is enabling in the face of continuing Trillion dollar deficits and a cumulative 31 Trillion dollar National Debt is ever more sickening. Today Murkowski endorsed the findings of a show trial orchestrated by the same corrupt Deep State national “security” apparatus that performed the treasonous hoax for 4 years against a duly elected President. It comes as no surprise to hear reports that these same type of folks in prior times were apparently involved in the assassination of both JFK and RFK.
The remaining honest people in Washington DC are labeled “kooks” and “conspiracy theorists” and the media is a witting or unwitting partner in the disinformation campaign.
Is there any truth left to believe?
No wonder Lisa couldn’t pass the bar exam after several tries. She’s either too stupid to understand debtor priority in transactions, or, Frankie and Nancy didn’t get her squared away in catechism classes during her Catholic education.
Both.
And yet we voted this corrupt — back in. Tell me again this is a red state. I love good fiction.
I hope someone representing his debtors sues her.
Where do You get “we”; do You have a mouse in Your pocket?
The democrats and RINOs voted for “it”.
Are you an Alaskan voter? Or just a puffed up outrage commando?
Or worse, an Alaska public school grad?
The Alaska public school grad would explain your stunning lack of understanding civics and the electoral process.
We, the collective (hate that term) went to the polls. We cast votes. Princess won. More voters went for her than Kelly.
It’s just that simple.
Leave it to good old what’s her name…..
What a twist! Are the attorneys for the FTX Debtors pro bono or are they there for the “last supper?” I suspect that the scavengers will ravage the carcass for themselves–of course, all for a good cause! Why not gorge yourself on justice, eh?
MRAK fails to mention that FTX also funded many Republican candidates through dark money non-profits, many legislators do not know where to send money as FTX is in bankruptcy. Quite sure the Murkowski campaign can come up with $14,000 once a bankruptcy court actually rules where the money goes, which could be years.
Frank, you are saying that Murkowski, who is a lawyer and who has had a doctorate-level course in bankruptcy law, and her staffers, many who are lawyers, do not know the rules surrounding bankruptcy? Or that she did not consult one of her many lawyer friends? She is stupider than I even thought.
After numerous tries on the bar exam, I finally paid for her remedial study course to which the exam questions were provided prior to the exam. A doctoral in bankruptcy law? Ha! I could teach that course from experience alone. This wasn’t a secured transaction. Debtor priorities of campaign moneys should always be refunded to the first donors. In Lisa’s case, her debt is to the Democrats and the feckless RINO’s who supported her Left-wing agenda with BIG $$$. Just another cafeteria Catholic hard at work.
Oh, Frankie. You are sooooooo smart. Where did you learn all this? Was that when we got rich while you were a bank president?
Or, was it after you became US Senator? Or was it after you became governor and bought our private jet with Alaskan’s money?
The Murkowski name should be in a separate chapter of Alaska History. In fact, you and Lisa should get your own separate chapters. Our name is enshrined. Right up there with Soapy Smith, and Lou Dischner.
The only reason Frankie got anywhere in life was because of Nancy. Otherwise, he would still be taking short orders at Denny’s. Dumber than a box of rocks.
I imagine it went to the likes of McConnell to help keep Murkowski in office as well as other RINOs; certainly not true conservatives
The story is about Princess Lisa. Not the GOP writ large.
Focus.
Not many and they were $500 donations. Get your facts right before you shoot your mouth off.
Well, at least I was able to scrape a few bucks together from excess campaign donations and buy more Bermuda shorts. Lisa is getting a badly needed butt and facelift with hers. The rest goes to the backdoor of the DOJ so they can focus on Trump.
Thank you for this reporting Suzanne. You are the first to have gotten it right. Those stolen funds should never be given to anyone other than the US Treasury. Those non- profits are going to lose every penny when those stolen funds are recovered- just like happened with the Madoff scam.
Murkowski is hurting, not helping. Terrible.
Also, those stock photos (as used in this article) of golden coins is another pet peeve. Crypo is nothing more than 1s and 0s. No gold. No silver. Butkis.
If anyone takes stolen funds or ill-gotten gains–the deposit in the first national bank of karma–will eventually get you…
Great news. FTX Debtors need to go after Murkowski and her Democrat friends. I would like to see a lawsuit initiated and go after personal assets if she does not return the funds promptly. This cannot be forgotten and swept under the carpet.
It has been clear that she has always been as corrupt as the Bankman-Fried cabal, and frankly, I don’t have any sympathy for crypto investors, either.
That’s our representatives: always in the know, always a step ahead, always has the “lahr” on their side.
The state is becoming overrun with homelessness and drug addiction and she donates the ill-gotten contributions to what sounds like a retreat for monied-up retirees! Nice!
So the donation became too hot to handle and she dropped it like a hot potato. I wonder why she just wouldn’t give it back? Was it because some good in her eyes could still be done with it rather than give it back to the legal owners? It seems to me that she’s guilty of accepting stolen property. She probably didn’t know it was stolen at the time, and that’s why she’s not behind bars but when she discovered that it was stolen she should have given it back to the owners instead of somebody else. This bag of bones never ceases to amaze me.
I’m kind of rethinking this, and once she found out it was stolen funds, when she passed it on she may have broken the law. At least she left a trail and it should be pretty easy to recover. If I’m the people that she gave it to, I’m telling her thanks for nothing. Next time you want to give me something stolen please give it to somebody else
I think if it was you and me, the law would require restitution. But Lisa is a lawyer and senior member of the Senate.
She’s supposed to know better and be subject to higher penalties. But she won’t be.
I am with you on this one. She knowingly “ passed the bucks “ to the so-called charity. With her legal background she knew better. But what identifies that particular money, besides the amount. I am sure there are not separate accounts for each donation. And I am sure that she has the money in her funds to pay back, be it voluntary (the right way) or by order of the court. Hiding behind a charity is not good etiquette, and disfavors her high office. And our State.
Well, I’m sure that Lisa can go to McConnel and get the old Kentukee senator to bail her a$$ out of this one.
Whoever received the funds, you might as well give it all back now to where you got it. Bankruptcy court will not be kind, and an additional 87,000 IRS agents will be able to strike fast. Dont get involved in this financial mess.
So fools invested their money in FTX because they didn’t want any connection to government oversite of their money, but now are crying that the government should get it back for them. You can’t make this crap up. The anti-government crowd screaming for the government to come in and help them get their money back. ROTFL!
You got it! If you’re one of the bleeding hearts who are weeping for “we the people,” you’ve got to admit that the idiots who were cultivated and “ripped off” gave the crook a nice ride! And now the the attorneys for the FTX Debtors are coming in for several pounds of prime flesh and a joy ride too!
What can one say but “Oh, my!” or “That’s the way of the world–love it or leave it!”
I’m sad for the people who bit on this, but paraphrasing Warren Buffett: never invest in something you can’t easily explain.
Better, quoting the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition. “Free things are seldom cheap”.
You seem to be easily self-amused. This is no different than any other white collar scam or pyramid scheme where investment money was misappropriated and downright stolen. That’s what the government is for, to protect its citizens from law breakers. But you were sick the day they civics in government class.
I am amused at the stupid. You obviously never learned much about finances. Fools invested in FTX thinking they could make a fortune with no effort.
Time for A RICO action against her. Moving the cash around IS laundering. Anything she might do with it,fits under that catch all
All of us who dislike Lisa need to start now and tell everyone the truth about her.
The truth is that she’s a rock star senator who easily won the election and with Sullivan is Alaska’s double barrel shotgun.
For what? Pork? Yippee. People like me do not benefit one cent from the socialist largess but our children get to pay the bill for centuries to come. No thanks.
She might be a rockstar outside of the state of Alaska in blue States. I can tell you she’s not a rockstar in the state of Florida.
Hungry homeless addicted people all over the place and she donates to a writers retreat?
No doubt you want to raise our taxes to supplement the earnings of the hungry, the homeless, and the addicted who’ve got a hustle going at every street corner around town. Why not establish a state guaranteed income to help them maintain the lifestyles they’ve become accustomed to?
What say you, Jack? But in defense of you, maybe this is just “Christmas talk” to make yourself feel elevated above your lowly neighbors. If that’s the case, you’ll be back to your old self right after the turn of the year! I bet that you get an “epiphanic high” blowing off loving steam around Christmas time, thus thinking that you’re more “worthy” of salvation!
Sleepy Alaskan voters, this is what you get for allowing prop 2 to pass
I wonder if Porcaro is proud of his baby?
Come; let us beg together: “Geeve ’em!”
Typical low IQ liberal. Use someone else’s money to donate to something that will have her family name on it. How about Storyknife Writers Retreat changing the placard on that cabin to the Bankman-Fried Cabin. That would be perfect! Or do the right thing and give the money back to the folks who were swindled!
Everybody’s got a racket; obviously, you have one seeking “goodness” for the less astute! Look, bud, around these times fine folks like you are swarming all over the place buying and selling, ringing bells and looking for handouts–working for brotherly love and plucking at the heartstrings of passersby.
It’s every man to his best judgment, and, frankly, I really don’t give a damn who doesn’t have what–Christmas or not. I’m pulling for the attorneys, the “minions of the people,” who are smart enough to realize that the dunces are standing in line pleading to be had again!
Someone got into the eggnog early! LMAO! what an incomprehensible word salad. Should be working for Biden.
An incomprehensible word salad, eh? Learn the first three letters of the A, B, Cs and you’ll find yourself ahead of your friends by a grade or two! Give it a whirl: A, B, C! Then try the 1, 2, 3s! Astound yourself!
Oh, my! Fish Food is rolling all over the floor. I’ve made an error!
Edited title corrected as follows: The incomprehensible world of Fish Food and his A, B, Cs and 1, 2, 3s!
I rest my case! LMAO!
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