The U.S. Senate on Friday passed S. Res. 772 by unanimous consent, a resolution formally opposing any clemency for Sam Bankman-Fried. The non-binding measure, introduced June 17 by Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ruben Gallego, carries no legal weight — the president's pardon authority under Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 can't be limited by Congress. But it puts the chamber on record against a pardon for the FTX founder, who is currently serving a 25-year sentence for fraud.
What the resolution does
S. Res. 772 expresses the Senate's opposition to granting clemency — whether a pardon, commutation, or reprieve — to Bankman-Fried. The unanimous consent vote means no senator objected, a rare show of bipartisan agreement on a crypto-related issue. Lummis, a Wyoming Republican and longtime crypto advocate, co-sponsored the resolution with Gallego, an Arizona Democrat. The resolution notes that Bankman-Fried was convicted of stealing billions from FTX customers and that his sentence reflects the severity of the crimes.
Bankman-Fried's pardon petition
Bankman-Fried submitted a formal pardon petition to the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney earlier this year. The petition requests a pardon after completion of his sentence — effectively a post-sentence pardon that would restore his civil rights. Federal law allows anyone to petition for a pardon, but the process is lengthy and the outcome is entirely at the president's discretion.
Trump's position — and his record
President Donald Trump said in a January 2026 interview that he had no plans to grant clemency to Bankman-Fried. That statement came after Trump granted clemency to two other high-profile crypto figures: former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, who received a commutation, and Ross Ulbricht, the Silk Road founder, who received a full pardon. Those moves drew criticism from some lawmakers. The new resolution serves as a reminder that Congress is watching — and that a pardon for Bankman-Fried would spark a political firestorm.
The resolution is purely symbolic. The Supreme Court case Ex parte Garland (1866) established that Congress cannot limit the effect of a pardon or exclude any class of offenders. Still, the unanimous vote sends a clear signal to the White House. Bankman-Fried's petition remains pending at the pardon office. Trump hasn't changed his public stance since January. For now, the matter is stuck — the Senate has spoken, but the final word rests with the president.
