Nishad Singh and Sam Bankman-Fried contributed to the campaigns of two Minnesota policymakers mere days before FTX’s collapse in 2022.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who recently joined the Democratic presidential ticket as Kamala Harris’ running mate, received a $4,000 donation from former FTX engineering director Nishad Singh in 2022.
According to Minnesota Campaign Finance Board records, Singh sent the funds to Walz’s reelection committee in October 2022. Former FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried also sent $2,500 to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s campaign in November 2022, mere days before the crypto exchange filed for bankruptcy.
Reports suggested that Walz later returned Singh’s contribution amid the controversy surrounding the collapse of FTX and Alameda Research. Bankman-Fried facilitated millions in contributions to political campaigns at the state and federal levels — donations that debtors attempted to claw back as part of efforts to make users whole.
