It’s not Halloween, but crypto critic Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., is seeing ghosts.

Sherman conjured the ghost of Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of failed crypto exchange FTX, during a hearing focused on regulatory gaps in digital asset market structure on Thursday.  

“His ghost is still in this room. He haunts the halls of Rayburn,” Sherman said, referencing the Rayburn House Office Building in which the hearing was held. “But let’s remember why he was here. For one reason: To prevent the SEC from having jurisdiction over cryptocurrency.”

Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges, including bank fraud and illegal campaign contributions, that are tied to his role at the helm of FTX. Before his arrest, Bankman-Fried had pressed lawmakers to pass a digital commodities regulation bill and often visited Washington, D.C.

(by Stephanie Murray)