FTX & Democratic Party of Oregon

In just three years, the FTX co-founder built a massive operation to woo politicians, regulators and nonprofits to support his crypto goals.

At least $73 million of political donations tied to Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX may be at risk of being clawed back as bankruptcy lawyers sort through the remnants of his crypto empire in search of assets to repay creditors.

Taking FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s money was already a bit of a controversial subject. Now it’s looking downright scandalous. But Democrats aren’t speaking up.

It was the largest contribution the committee had ever reported receiving in the 15-year time frame covered by Oregon’s campaign finance database.

Election officials opened the investigation into Nishad Singh and the Democratic Party last October after the party identified the donor of its largest ever campaign contribution as cryptocurrency wire service Prime Trust.

Rosenblum recused herself from the investigation into disgraced cryptocurrency executive Nishad Singh, whose $500,000 donation to the Democratic Party of Oregon was falsely reported as coming from a Las Vegas company. Rosenblum should have ensured independence long ago, considering the cozy relationship she and former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan have had with the Democratic Party.

A spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Justice said on Friday that the agency is reviewing whether to open a criminal investigation of the Democratic Party of Oregon for misreporting the donor of $500,000 last fall.

A Bend lawyer has asked Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to open a criminal investigation into whether the Democratic Party of Oregon knowingly reported false information about who gave a $500,000 campaign contribution.

The assistant attorney general representing the Elections Division wrote that a Democratic party official “should not have been — and any other reasonable person would not have been — satisfied when (donor Nishad Singh told the party) that Mr. Singh ‘prefers Prime Trust (though not strongly) so go w[ith] that.’”

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Udland will oversee the department’s investigation into Nishad Singh, the former director of engineering at the disgraced cryptocurrency firm FTX.

A recent settlement that substantially slashed a fine for the Democratic Party of Oregon for misreporting a $500,000 donation raises significant questions about the ability of Democrats to hold their own party accountable, the editorial board writes.

Election officials will fine the Oregon Democratic Party $15,000 and ask the attorney general to investigate a cryptocurrency executive.

A $500,000 contribution made to the party in October by FTX exec Nishad Singh was falsely filed under the name of a different company.

Oregon elections officials found that Democratic Party of Oregon staff hid that a former FTX executive donated $500,000 to the party in 2022.

Oregon elections officials on Wednesday fined the Democratic Party of Oregon $35,000 for failing to disclose in a timely manner that a $500,000 donation came from an FTX executive. A lawyer for the party said it would appeal.

An executive at defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX made a $500,000 contribution to the Democratic Party of Oregon — but not in his own name.