Maxine Waters thanks FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried for being 'candid'

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of crypto-exchange company FTX who admittedly "had a bad month," received praise on Twitter from Congresswoman Maxine Waters for his apparent dedication to transparency.

Bankman-Fried, who has recently said he was masquerading as a "woke westerner," has benefitted from an avalanche of favorable press as of late, including an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal and a public webcam event with the New York Times.

"[Sam Bankman-Fried], we appreciate that you've been candid in your discussions about what happened at #FTX," Waters stated on Twitter. "Your willingness to talk to the public will help the company's customers, investors, and others. To that end, we would welcome your participation in our hearing on the 13th."

The statement was co-tweeted by the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, for which Waters is the spokesperson. The committee has announced a hearing regarding FTX set for December 13, 2022, saying the "urgent need for legislation has never been greater."

While it is fair to state that there is widespread skepticism about any punishment the founder will face, other crypto-currency companies such as Alameda Research and Binance are set to appear at the hearing as well.

The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee will also hold a hearing titled “Lessons Learned from the FTX Collapse" on December 1, 2022.

Bankman-Fried has received no apparent condemnation from federal authorities or regulators and at points seems genuinely confused by backlash or questioning he's received.

"When I filed, I'm fairly sure FTX US was solvent, and that all US customers could be made whole. To my knowledge, it still is today. I was expecting that to happen. I'm surprised it hasn't. I'm not sure why US withdrawals were turned off," the mogul pontificated online.

Bankman-Fried and Rep. Waters have been pictured together before, with Waters even seemingly blowing a kiss to the businessman after a congressional hearing:

Still operating out of the Bahamas, Bankman-Fried appears to be doing his own public relations damage control on social media, even taking time to clarify his status as a vegan. "Is SBF still vegan?" a crypto-currency account asked. "Yea, the picture going around was a joke, I'm still vegan," Bankman-Fried clarified.