Semafor, a startup digital media outlet that launched earlier this year, is pushing back on criticism from Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who attacked the outlet for taking investment money from Sam Bankman-Fried the now-former CEO of infamous cryptocurrency exchange FTX.
“Now that Sam Bankman-Fried has been exposed as a billion dollar scam artist, this poses problems for Ben Smith and Semafor. You’re not allowed to keep the proceeds of other peoples crimes,” Carlson said during a short segment on his hourlong prime time program on Wednesday. “Sam Bankman-Fried was the second biggest donor to the Democratic party. In the end we hear the Justice Department is looking into him. So he’s gonna get away with it, Ben Smith will get away with it, Semafor will get away with it.”
In a statement responding to Carlson’s segment, the news startup slammed the cable news host and dismissed his accusations.
“While we are thrilled that Tucker Carlson is turning his audience on to Semafor, Carlson’s narrative of “collusion” between our newsroom and Sam Bankman-Fried is a false, depressing attempt to convert the pain for FTX’s victims into television ratings,” a company spokespersons aid. “His ‘investigation’ discovered that Bankman-Fried is a Semafor investor because we initially disclosed it. There are specific legal rules that we will follow in handling that investment. We hope his viewers will read our tough and…
