The convicted founder of Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, said he was « a little bit surprised » by President Donald Trump’s pardon of him on « Special Report » Friday.
« We have never met, » former Binance CEO Changpeng « CZ » Zhao told « Special Report » anchor Bret Baier in an exclusive interview. « We have never talked. »
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In 2023, Zhao pleaded guilty to a money-laundering–related charge. He served a four-month prison sentence under the Biden administration. President Donald Trump pardoned him Oct. 21, according to the Department of Justice.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt touted Trump’s pardon as « officially end[ing] the Biden administration’s war on the cryptocurrency industry. »
On Sunday, Trump said in a « 60 Minutes » interview he does not know Zhao.
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The cryptocurrency founder similarly denied having ties to the Trump family, despite The Wall Street Journal attributing Zhao’s pardon to Binance’s alleged « deal » with the Trumps’ cryptocurrency project, World Liberty Financial.
« That’s completely not accurate, » Zhao said on « Special Report. » « There’s no deal, there has never been any discussions. It’s as simple as that. »
However, Zhao said he met American Bitcoin co-founder — and Trump’s son, Eric Trump — once at the Bitcoin MENA conference in Abu Dhabi.
Zhao called the WSJ’s reporting « categorically false, » denying any business relationships with Trump’s sons.
He also addressed why he pleaded guilty to a violation of the Bank Secrecy Act, which included failure to properly implement an effective anti-money-laundering program.
« I think it’s the best way to confront the problem and solve it head-on, » he said, later adding: « I do not have anything to debate on the charges. »
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Zhao cited Trump’s GENIUS Act, which defined federal regulations for cryptocurrency, as a marker of the U.S. « leading » in crypto rules.
« The more clarity we have in the industry, the better, » Zhao argued.
« I think in the last administration, even when I was charged and even when I pleaded guilty, there wasn’t any clear regulatory frameworks for crypto in the U.S., so I think now it’s getting much clearer, and U.S. is definitely leading, » he added.
The Wall Street Journal responded to Zhao’s comments, telling « Special Report, » « We stand by our reporting. » Both Fox News and The Wall Street Journal are owned by News Corp.
Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/media/crypto-founder-pardoned-trump-denies-having-ties-trump-family
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Publish date : 2025-11-08 03:32:00
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