The White House has declined to say whether President Joe Biden would return campaign contributions from Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of a major crypto exchange who is now accused of defrauding investors before his company imploded last month.
Asked whether the president will send back the donations during a press conference on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that she could not address “anything that’s connected to political contributions,” citing a federal law which prohibits certain officials from engaging in political activities.
When a journalist at the briefing noted that Biden and lawmakers in both major parties had received funds from Bankman-Fried and asked whether the White House would urge other politicians to return the money, Jean-Pierre again rebuffed the question.
“I just cannot speak to this from here. Even [Biden’s] opinion, even his thoughts about the contributions, donations, I cannot speak about that from here,” she said.