Sam Bankman-Fried’s crisis manager has reportedly quit his role following the FTX founder’s prison interview with Tucker Carlson. The Tucker interview was allegedly published unbeknownst to Mark Botnick.
Botnick, who began representing SBF following the infamous FTX exchange collapse in November 2022, resigned yesterday, 7 March 2025. The resignation came after learning of the interview available online.
Botnick confirmed that he has quit representing Bankman-Fried.
SCOOP: Sam Bankman-Fried's crisis PR manager, Mark Botnick, has resigned.
He told me he had no knowledge of @SBF_FTX 's interview with @TuckerCarlson . pic.twitter.com/ruype2nTLC
— Jacob Shamsian ⚖️ (@JayShams) March 6, 2025
SBF Is On Media Trail With Second Interview In Last Few Weeks
SBF has broken a two-year public silence, starting with a tone-deaf X thread where he talked about the hardship of having to fire people amid Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s DOGE taskforce laying off government workers.
Many believe that Bankman-Fried came out of the woodwork with an agenda. Sympathising with the President and condoning the actions of DOGE. The internet is theorizing that SBF is hoping for a pardon from Trump.
In both recent appearances, SBF praised Trumpwhile criticizing the former Biden administration. He went on to say that he began to side with the Republican Party more and more following failed engagements with the previous SEC Chair Gary Gensler.
Sam Bankman-Fried is doing 25 years behind bars, and is now sharing a cell block with Diddy. He joins us from prison for an update on his new life.
(0:00) What Has Prison Been Like?
(2:28) Was SBF Ever on Adderall?
(4:42) SBF Meeting Diddy in Prison
(7:01) How Prison Has Changed… pic.twitter.com/mNSNktLibg— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) March 6, 2025
Speaking to Tucker from prison, Bankman-Fried said; “One fact that might be relevant. In 2020, I was center-left, and I gave to Biden’s campaign..I was optimistic he’d be a sort of solid center-left president. I spent the next few years in D.C. a lot. I made dozens of trips there and was really, really shocked by what I saw, not in a good direction, from the administration.
While his political talk isn’t likely to have caused SBF’s crisis manager, Mark Botnick to drop him as a client, the surprise of the interview and further topics likely played a part.
Bankman-Fried went on to talk to Carlson about life in prison with alleged sex trafficker, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. He said; “I’ve only seen one piece of him, which is Diddy in prison, and he’s been kind to people in the unit; he’s been kind to me.”
The crisis manager has reportedly confirmed his position via private communication channels but has yet to address his resignation publicly.
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Bankman-Fried Trying To Rehabiliate His Image In Hopes Of A Presidential Pardon
JUST IN: Sam Bankman-Fried says he shares a prison unit with Diddy.
"He's been kind to me." pic.twitter.com/OxiLZRriqn
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) March 6, 2025
Prior to his arrest in December 2022, Bankman-Fried was best known as the eccentric billionaire who practiced “effective altruism” and made huge donations to Democratic politicians.
In the twelve months following the multi-billion dollar collapse of FTX and his initial court hearing, Bankman-Fried was everywhere in the public sphere.
He gave multiple interviews to the press. He often landed himself in trouble. In one instance, he showed a journalist the diary of Catherine Ellison, his former girlfriend. This event led to him being placed in jail to prevent potential witness tampering.
During this period, SBF was also regularly on X posting his unfiltered thoughts on the events that ultimately landed the FTX founder in prison.
It was at this point that Botnick began working with Bankman-Fried. It seems as though someone close to SBF urged him to hire a crisis manager in order to stop implicating himself further.
The Tucker interview was likely the last straw for the crisis manager manager, after her was reportedly caught unaware when Bankman-Fried posted on X about the Trump administration’s efforts to fire federal employees.
Bankman-Fried is serving a 25-year prison sentence after a jury found him guilty in 2023 of seven fraud and money-laundering charges related to the $11 billion collapse of FTX.
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Sam Bankman Fried's Crisis Manager Quits
- Mark Botnick, crisis manager to SBF quits after latest interview from prison with Tucker Carlson
- Tucker interview last straw for Botnick after already being caught unaware with Bankman-Fried’s recent pro-trump X tirade
- Many believe that SBF’s recent public appearances are an attempt to curry favour with President Trump in hopes of a pardon
- Bankman-Fried currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for fraud and money laundering
