The Pardon Saga: Trump’s Crypto Friend, the DOJ, and Serious Lawyerly Business

by

The White House, in all its glory, went through the motions, giving Binance’s head honcho, Changpeng Zhao, a pardon. And by “went through the motions,” I mean they did it with the utmost seriousness. You know, the kind of seriousness reserved for picking out dinner at a fancy restaurant. According to Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, this pardon was given the standard thorough review it deserved before it landed on President Donald Trump’s desk. Yes, Trump-the man who definitely knows everything about crypto, or maybe not?

In a riveting CBS interview on Sunday, Trump-who, by the way, apparently doesn’t even know Zhao-explained how he had no idea who this crypto kingpin was. He also dismissed any hint of political motivation with the grace of a seasoned politician. If you thought he was just being cryptic, don’t worry, Leavitt cleared it up, explaining that Trump didn’t “personally know” Zhao. Glad we cleared that up! 😏

But fear not! The pardon wasn’t just a casual stroll in the park. Oh no. It went through a process-a “thorough review process” to be exact-by the Department of Justice and White House Counsel’s office. Because what’s more fun than a group of lawyers examining every tiny detail of a pardon request? “Every single pardon request,” Leavitt reminded us, “ultimately makes its way up to the president.” Of course, the big man, Trump, is the final decider. Decisions, decisions… 🤔

Now, if you’ve been following the news (and who isn’t these days?), you might’ve heard whispers about Binance and Zhao helping out the Trump family’s crypto project-World Liberty Financial-with a stablecoin and a hefty $2 billion investment deal. But Richard Teng, Binance’s CEO, says that’s all a bunch of hooey. Take that, conspiracy theorists! 😂

Trump “Corrected” a Wrong, Leavitt Claims

In a move that could only be described as “correcting a wrong,” Leavitt passionately argued that Zhao had been “over-prosecuted by a weaponized DOJ.” And let’s not forget, Biden’s people were out for blood with that excessive penalty, or so she claims. Zhao, for his part, pleaded guilty in 2023 to not running a proper Anti-Money Laundering program at Binance. Classic stuff, right?

Originally, the US prosecutors wanted Zhao to serve three years in the slammer. But-plot twist-the sentencing judge thought that was “too harsh” and gave him just four months of vacation (er, jail time) starting in April 2024. Leavitt, however, sees it as Trump correcting a “wrong.” Who’s right? Who knows? 🤷‍♂️

But here’s the kicker: Zhao’s lawyer, Teresa Goody Guillén, and his cheerleaders argue the sentence was a bit much for a first-time, non-violent offender. Tough crowd.

60 Minutes Cut Question on Crypto from Show

In a real jaw-dropper of an interview, CBS’s Norah O’Donnell dared to ask Trump whether he was worried about the appearance of corruption regarding Zhao’s pardon. You can guess how that went. Trump’s response? Classic Trump: “I can’t say, because-I can’t say-I’m not concerned. I don’t-I’d rather not have you ask the question.” And that, folks, was that. Trump also tossed in a fun fact that the US is “number one in crypto in the whole world.” Why? Because he’s the president, obviously. 💪

And in case you missed it, Trump made sure to remind everyone that his sons are way more into crypto than he is. He knows “little about it” but, hey, it’s big business, right?

For those who didn’t get enough of the juicy details, CBS’s YouTube video of the interview kindly notes it was “condensed for clarity.” In other words, they cut out all the fun bits. 😜

Read More

2025-11-05 06:56