Dec. 13, 2022: So much for that SBF testimony
Today\u2019s House Financial Services Committee hearing on the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange will go on as scheduled without its star witness: Former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who was arrested in the Bahamas on Monday at the behest of U.S. prosecutors who have secured indictments on a range of fraud charges. National political correspondent Ben Schreckinger stops by to share to what to expect.\nPanel chair Maxine Waters said in a statement Monday night she still wants to hear from Bankman-Fried, saying \u201cthe American public deserves to hear directly \u2026 about the actions that\u2019ve harmed over one million people, and wiped out the hard-earned life savings of so many.\u201d Current FTX CEO John Ray III, a cleanup expert known for his work at Enron after its 2002 collapse, will testify as planned.\xa0\n\u201cThe public has been waiting eagerly to get these answers under oath before Congress, and the timing of this arrest denies the public this opportunity,\u201d Waters added. \u201cWhile I am disappointed that we will not be able to hear from Mr. Bankman-Fried tomorrow, we remain committed to getting to the bottom of what happened.\u201d More from NYT\nAnd House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro is the biggest remaining obstacle to a huge government spending compromise that congressional leaders are circling, Caitlin Emma, Sarah Ferris and Burgess Everett report. Time is running short, but DeLauro said she\u2019s \u201coptimistic we can get to yes.\u201d The Senate appropriations leaders have closed the $26 billion gap between Democrats\u2019 and Republicans\u2019 proposals, but \u201cthey\u2019ve so far been unable to win DeLauro\u2019s buy-in.\u201d\xa0\n\u2014 Meanwhile, Congress has to pass a stopgap funding bill this week to avoid a shutdown and buy more time to negotiate the long-term deal. More from the WSJ\nSubscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter\nRaghu Manavalan is the Host and Senior Editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.