Odaily News John Deaton, a lawyer who supports XRP, questioned the relationship between Gary Gensler, chairman of the U.S. SEC, and Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), founder of FTX. Deaton's remarks were in response to the SEC's announcement of record financial relief in its enforcement actions for fiscal year 2024. John Deaton criticized Gary Gensler for holding a private meeting with SBF, while refusing to hold similar meetings with U.S. cryptocurrency executives such as Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Kraken's Jesse Powell, actions that showed the SEC's favoritism. Deaton also pointed out that SBF's $10 million donation to politicians may be another reason that enabled FTX to participate in regulatory negotiations, and further criticized Gary Gensler, suggesting that this financial connection may be the reason behind the SEC's courtesy to FTX.