- The founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, has dismissed allegations that he is pursuing a pardon from the Trump administration.
- CZ further clarified that he has not engaged in discussions with President Trump’s family or anyone regarding a stake in Binance US.
- Reports from The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg had suggested that President Trump’s family was in negotiations to form a partnership with Binance’s US division.
Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, publicly denied claims on Thursday that he is seeking a formal pardon from the administration of former President Donald Trump. This statement follows reports from The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, which indicated that Trump’s family was considering a partnership involving Binance, potentially including a pardon for Zhao.
CZ addresses pardon speculation
This comes after a report surfaced, stating that the former Binance CEO has been “pushing for the Trump administration to grant him a pardon.”
“Sorry to disappoint. The WSJ article has the facts wrong,” CZ remarked in a post on X on Thursday.
He suggested that these allegations might originate from “special forces” involved in a past presidential administration’s “War on Crypto.” Zhao also denied any claims concerning discussions with Trump’s family about acquiring a stake in Binance US.
“I have not had any conversations regarding a Binance US deal with … well, anyone,” he added.
Zhao previously spent four months in a US prison in 2024 after pleading guilty to charges, including failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering (AML) measures on the Binance US platform.
The Wall Street Journal’s report indicated that representatives of President Trump’s family had discussions about acquiring a financial interest in Binance’s US division, claiming that Binance had reached out to Trump’s allies last year to explore a deal during the President’s campaign.
According to sources familiar with the situation, Trump’s World Liberty Financial (WLFI) was involved in the negotiations.
Bloomberg also published a report featuring claims similar to those from The Wall Street Journal, mentioning that Binance and WLFI are considering a partnership that could involve the creation of a US Dollar stablecoin.
4 x2 FUD, with a history
So, Bloomberg was the “another media” in my earlier post. They just published their baseless hit piece after WSJ, with statements:
“It’s not clear what stage the discussions have reached or whether they’ll result in any transactions or ventures”…
— CZ BNB (@cz_binance) March 13, 2025
Regardless, CZ has also refuted the claims made by both outlets. “I/Binance have no business dealings with WLF or the individuals mentioned in their article. We also have not purchased any of the WLF coins,” he posted on X.