Binance co-founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) said he was caught off guard by his presidential pardon from Donald Trump, clarifying that he has never met or conducted business with the US president or his 0 Takeaways: CZ said he was surprised by Trump’s pardon, insisting he never met or did business with the US president or his 1 claimed that Binance and World Liberty Finance have no connection, pushing back against speculation of financial ties to Trump-linked 2 pardon sparked political backlash, with Democratic lawmakers alleging a “pay-to-play” 3 with Fox News on Friday , CZ said he had met Trump’s son, Eric, only once at the Bitcoin Middle East and North Africa conference in Abu Dhabi.
“There is no business relationship between me, Binance, and World Liberty Finance,” CZ stated, dismissing speculation of financial ties to the Trump-linked crypto 4 Says He ‘Did Not Know’ When Trump Pardon Would Happen CZ claimed that he was unaware of the pardon’s progress. “I did not know when or if it was going to happen. I believe my lawyers submitted the petition in April, and it took a few 5 was no indication of how far it went along. Then, it happened one day.” The pardon, granted in October, triggered strong political 6 many in the crypto community viewed it as a symbolic win for digital asset advocates after years of regulatory hostility, Democratic lawmakers condemned it as an act of political 7 surprised by Trump's pardon,denying any business links to the Trump family On November 7 (EST),n an interview on FOX News'Special Report,Zhao Changpeng (CZ) said he was surprised by former President Trump's pardon and firmly denied allegations or rumors that he or Binance… 8 — Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) November 8, 2025 During a post-pardon press conference, Trump said he didn’t personally know CZ but was told the case was “politically motivated.” “He had a lot of support, and they said that what he did is not even a crime,” Trump 9 decision has since become a flashpoint in 10 Maxine Waters accused Trump of a “pay-to-play” arrangement , claiming the pardon was tied to crypto-related investments funneled into Trump-affiliated ventures such as World Liberty Financial (WLFI).
Several Democratic senators, including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, have called for an inquiry, sending an open letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging a review of the pardon process. Warren’s Lawyer Rejects CZ Defamation Threat As reported, Senator Elizabeth Warren’s lawyer has dismissed CZ’s threat of a defamation lawsuit , insisting her comments about his criminal conviction were factually correct and supported by public 11 dispute stems from an Oct. 23 post on X, where Warren criticized former President Donald Trump’s pardon of Zhao , calling it “corruption.” Zhao’s attorney, Teresa Goody Guillén, demanded a retraction, accusing Warren of damaging her client’s 12 response, Warren’s attorney, Ben Stafford, said any defamation claim would be “without merit,” emphasizing that Zhao pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program at 13 clarified that Warren’s post did not claim Zhao was charged with direct money laundering, only that he broke AML laws – a statement “true in all respects,” he 14 also alleged that Zhao “financed Trump’s stablecoin and lobbied for a pardon,” citing media reports linking Binance to the Trump family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial.
Meanwhile, Binance is reportedly exploring ways to re-enter the US market following President Donald Trump’s pardon of CZ.
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