US Senate Unanimously Opposes Pardon for Sam Bankman-Fried

The US Senate unanimously passed a resolution stating that FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried should never receive a presidential pardon. The measure, S. Res. 772, cleared the chamber through unanimous consent on Wednesday, July 15. The resolution carries no legal force, but it puts the entire chamber on record against the convicted crypto entrepreneur, who is serving a 25-year sentence.

A vote with zero objections

The resolution passed through unanimous consent: it became official because none of the 100 senators publicly objected to it. The text states that Bankman-Fried should "under no circumstances" receive a pardon or a commutation of his sentence. In a separate clause, senators affirmed their commitment to "the rule of law and the integrity of the United States financial system." The vote required no debate and no roll-call request.

Formally, the resolution changes nothing about the case itself. It doesn't limit the president's constitutional pardon power, and it carries no binding force over the courts or the prison system. It reads more like a political signal meant to close the topic publicly ahead of future clemency petitions than an actual legal barrier.

The unanimity is notable given how divided Congress otherwise is on crypto. The CLARITY Act, a broad market-structure bill, remains stuck in the Senate as Democrats and Republicans argue over its details week after week. Yet not a single senator objected to the Bankman-Fried resolution. Industry outlets called the contrast a rare instance of bipartisan agreement on a crypto-related matter.

Sponsors from both parties

The resolution was introduced on June 17 by Senator Cynthia Lummis, a Wyoming Republican, and Senator Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat. Both lead the Senate Banking Committee's digital assets subcommittee and regularly work on crypto-focused legislation, including stablecoin oversight and market structure rules. Lummis, one of Congress's most vocal crypto advocates, said at the time that Bankman-Fried "had his day in court." According to her office, the convicted entrepreneur has ramped up a public clemency campaign in recent months, enlisting lawyers, allies, and public appeals to the White House.

"Keep him locked up."

- Ruben Gallego, US Senator from Arizona, statement upon introducing the resolution on June 17, 2026

Trump pardoned others, but not him

Back in January, Trump said he had no plans to pardon Bankman-Fried. Yet during his term, he has already granted clemency to several other crypto figures, whose cases industry advocates publicly framed as overreach by the previous administration.

• Binance founder Changpeng Zhao received a pardon after pleading guilty to violating US anti-money-laundering law.
• BitMEX co-founders Arthur Hayes, Ben Delo, and Samuel Reed were also cleared of similar charges.
• Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht received a pardon despite a life sentence for running the darknet marketplace.

Zhao's pardon is still drawing criticism in the Senate. The same week, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin blasted attorney general nominee Todd Blanche over the April 2025 dismantling of the Justice Department's crypto enforcement unit. Durbin argued the move paved the way for a deal in which Zhao allegedly helped funnel $2 billion into Trump's family venture, World Liberty Financial, shortly before his pardon. Republican Senator Thom Tillis, at the same hearing, admitted the episode concerned him too, though he otherwise backed Blanche's nomination.

Senate Democrats have criticized that pattern repeatedly, yet they showed unified toughness only toward Bankman-Fried. The difference comes down to scale. His case left hundreds of thousands of ordinary exchange customers as victims, not just regulators or rival companies. Against that backdrop, the Senate's unanimous stance reads more like a message to the White House than an actual legal obstacle to future clemency petitions. Bankman-Fried's supporters, for their part, are still counting on a presidential decision rather than Congress's opinion. Clemency petitions rest solely with the White House, and even a unanimous Senate resolution gives his lawyers no additional legal ground to appeal.

The road to release now runs to 2044

Last month, a federal appeals court upheld Bankman-Fried's conviction and rejected his appeal. His next possible move could be a petition to the Supreme Court, though his lawyers haven't publicly confirmed such plans. The judge sentenced him to 25 years in prison, and prosecutors called the FTX collapse one of the biggest financial frauds in US history.

Before its November 2022 bankruptcy, FTX ranked among the world's largest crypto exchanges, with a peak valuation near $32 billion. Leading Silicon Valley venture funds were once among its backers, which is part of why the case still shapes how Congress talks about industry regulation. Under the current schedule, Bankman-Fried's release is set for 2044, and nothing from this week's vote changes that date.

Bitcoin barely reacted to news of the resolution: the asset traded near $64,000, continuing its pullback from a monthly high. The market treats the Bankman-Fried case as a legal story rather than a price driver, and that's unlikely to change soon. For investors who track Bitcoin's price daily, this news remains more of a headline than a trading signal.