South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Frost to donate money from FTX founder
Bankman-Fried’s contributions will aid Zebra Coalition
Maxwell Frost, Orlando’s Democratic congressman-elect, took to social media to explain his connection to Sam Bankman-Fried, the indicted founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.
On his Twitter account Wednesday, Frost, 25, said he would be donating campaign contributions from Bankman-Fried to the Zebra Coalition, a nonprofit that supports LGBTQ youths in Central Florida.
Records show Frost, the first member of Gen Z elected to Congress, received $5,800 directly from the investment manager accused of defrauding his clients.
“It seems clear that Sam Bankman Fried cheated and conned over a million people out of their money,” Frost tweeted. “Many of these being working class families that lost their life savings. They deserve justice and Sam Bankman Fried should be held accountable.”
But the much bigger issue is a super PAC created by Bankman-Fried that spent nearly $1 million on television and digital ads in support of Frost during the crowded Democratic primary for the seat vacated by U.S. Rep. Val Demings.
Bankman-Fried “also funded a Super PAC called Protect Our Future which spent money in my district supporting me,” Frost tweeted. “I never solicited their support. I don’t want or need support from those scamming working folks, and I’m going to fight to get dark money out of politics.”
In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel last month, Frost said there was nothing he could do about the $1 million spent on his behalf by Bankman-Fried’s group because it was an independent expenditure. He also said then he would be donating the direct contribution to charity.
Frost also recently made news when he reported his “really bad” credit prompted an apartment complex to deny him a lease in expensive Washington, D.C.