As former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried awaits his trial later this year, reports indicate the company donated millions of dollars to early COVID-19 researchers. The research was reportedly used to cast doubt on specific treatments, such as the use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.
Controversy Surrounds FTX’s Former CEO and Research Funding to Discredit Covid-19 Treatments
There are several reports claiming that Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the co-founder of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX, helped fund causes related to pandemic prevention. During the first week of 2023, reports revealed that SBF met with senior Biden administration officials before he was arrested for fraud. When asked about the meetings, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the meetings involved discussions of “pandemic prevention.”
Much of the news about SBF pandemic prevention donations follows a variety of reports showing that the Covid-19 lockdowns had a negative impact on the global economy, documents suggesting that ivermectin has proven therapeutic benefits in Covid-19 infections, and that hydroxychloroquine is effective against Covid-19 when administered early. Also, many people having expressed skepticism about the Covid-19 mRNA vaccine and there have been calls a take it off from the market due to security concerns.
Meanwhile, a series of reports indicate that FTX was money a significant amount of pandemic-related propaganda during the early days of the pandemic. SBF’s brother, Gabe Bankman-Fried, was the director of “Guarding Against Pandemics” and reporting note that FTX “fed” the organization with fresh cash.
According to the Washington Post, the organization spent $1 million to lobby Congress and hired 26 lobbyists. “The brothers strove to keep congressional attention on biodefense,” Luciana Borio, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on infectious diseases, told the Washington Post.
Reports they further indicate that FTX and its donor arm, the “FTX Foundation”, allegedly funneled $18.25 million to early Covid-19 researchers who wrote specific articles intended to cast doubt on certain Covid-19 treatments. A Press release published on May 16 claims that the FTX Foundation donated millions to the “Juicio Juntos”. According to the press release, “Together” is a consortium that “includes representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) Clinical Guidance Committee on Therapeutics of Covid-19.”
A report from themainewire.com shows that the “Together Trial” investigation included two studies that were used to discredit the use of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin (study 1, study 2).
“The Together Trial research included a study that found that the benefits of ivermectin for patients with COVID-19 were unclear and a study that concluded that hydroxychloroquine showed no benefit in reducing hospitalizations,” Steve wrote. Robinson, a contributor to themainewire.com. As time goes by, many people are of the opinion that pandemic prevention measures have not been effective and may have caused more harm than good.
FTX’s alleged funding for research aimed at casting doubt on specific Covid-19 treatments continues accusations that a Pfizer board member, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, allegedly pushed Twitter to censor posts saying natural immunity is superior to the Covid-19 mRNA vaccine.
Most of the censorship on social media and academic smearing stemming from researchers paid to push Covid-19 propaganda has caused a great deal of confusion over the past two years. While FTX, now bankrupt, was once a top five crypto asset exchange, the company’s foundation also promoted unfounded actions and ineffective pandemic measures which may have caused a significant amount of harm to the general population.
What is your opinion on FTX’s alleged funding for research that was aimed at casting doubt on specific Covid-19 treatments? Do you think this has caused a significant amount of confusion over the past two years? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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