Jesús Chuy García says feds haven’t contacted him about Sam Bankman-Fried donation

Garcia, who’s running for Chicago mayor, faces criticism from his opponents to explain political donations from the crypto entrepreneur.

U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia
Flanked by supporters, U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-Ill.) announces his candidacy for mayor of Chicago during a news conference at Navy Pier, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022. Ashlee Rezin / Chicago Sun-Times
U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia
Flanked by supporters, U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-Ill.) announces his candidacy for mayor of Chicago during a news conference at Navy Pier, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022. Ashlee Rezin / Chicago Sun-Times

Jesús Chuy García says feds haven’t contacted him about Sam Bankman-Fried donation

Garcia, who’s running for Chicago mayor, faces criticism from his opponents to explain political donations from the crypto entrepreneur.

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U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García’s campaign for Chicago mayor said Friday he’s not been contacted by federal agents for accepting campaign contributions from a now-federally charged cryptocurrency entrepreneur.

The New York Times this month reported that federal authorities are investigating the political donations from former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who donated millions in the 2022 elections, and are seeking information from Democrats and Republicans.

Antoine Givens, a spokesman for Garcia’s mayoral campaign, said Friday that the congressional campaign has not been contacted by federal authorities regarding Bankman-Fried or FTX, which was first reported Friday by The Chicago Tribune.

Earlier this week, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said he could not comment on whether subpoenas had been issued to García or his campaign related to Bankman-Fried’s donations.

Bankman-Fried donated $2,900 to García’s congressional reelection campaign, the maximum amount an individual can contribute to a congressional candidate. García’s campaign previously told Politico it donated an equal amount to charity.

Bankman-Fried’s political action committee, Protect Our Future, also reported it spent $199,855 on June 1 on mailers in support of García’s campaign, federal election records show.

Givens noted the congressman had no involvement in any independent expenditure campaign and stressed he has worked to tighten cryptocurrency laws.

“Congressman García has always been a skeptic of cryptocurrencies and as a member of the Financial Services Committee advocated for stronger financial regulations on an industry he considers ripe for fraud,” Givens said.

Some of his opponents’ mayoral campaigns, including incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot, state Rep. Kam Buckner and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, have launched mounting criticisms of the donations and have pressed García to explain his connections with Bankman-Fried.

“What were Bankman-Fried’s motives for spending so much on Rep. Garcia’s reelection, and what did Garcia promise in return – particularly when he was running unopposed at the time?” state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, who is supporting Lightfoot’s re-election bid, said in a statement earlier this month.

Other Illinois candidates also received support from the PAC.

In June, Garcia told Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet that he spoke with Bankman-Fried that month to talk about pandemic preparedness. García told Sweet then that he believed he got support from the billionaire because of how outspoken he’d been on the impact of the pandemic on Latino communities and the need for more vaccines.

But on Friday, Garcia’s mayoral campaign spokesman told WBEZ that the congressman “has never spoken with Sam Bankman-Fried.”

“He spoke with his brother Gabe once about pandemic preparedness,” Givens said.

At some point in June, García’s campaign website added language about pandemic preparedness, similar to language posted on Protect Our Future’s website, in which he called for “independent oversight” of “dual-use research labs” and creating consequences for labs that aren’t compliant with safety protocols.

Tessa Weinberg covers Chicago government and politics for WBEZ. Follow her @tessa_weinberg.