Overview
- Changpeng "CZ" Zhao said on Fox News he was "a little bit surprised" by the October pardon and noted his lawyers filed a petition in April without updates on its progress.
- Zhao rejected The Wall Street Journal’s account of talks involving World Liberty Financial, calling it "categorically false," as the outlet said it stands by its reporting.
- He said he has never met or spoken with President Trump and recalled meeting Eric Trump once at a Bitcoin conference in Abu Dhabi.
- The White House framed the pardon as ending what it called the prior administration’s war on crypto, while Trump said he does not know Zhao and labeled the prosecution a Biden witch hunt.
- Zhao previously pleaded guilty in 2023 to Bank Secrecy Act violations, served a four‑month prison term, and Binance agreed to pay about $4.3 billion to U.S. authorities.