Overview
- CBS’s 60 Minutes reported that Binance supported Trump‑linked World Liberty Financial with software and that a UAE fund later invested $2 billion in Binance using World Liberty crypto, assertions the parties dispute.
- Former U.S. pardon attorney Elizabeth Oyer called the circumstances "unprecedented" and described the pardon as corruption, citing potential self‑dealing and financial influence.
- CZ’s attorney Teresa Goody Guillén said the pardon followed a formal application reviewed by the Justice Department’s pardon office and the White House Counsel before the president’s decision.
- Guillén rejected any pay‑to‑play, calling secret wallet payments "impossible" because they would be traceable on the blockchain, and she cast CZ’s case as an AML compliance failure without fraud or victims.
- The White House denied any conflicts of interest, CZ said there is no business relationship with World Liberty, and while Zhao/Binance attorneys denied providing technical support, World Liberty’s lawyers said Binance supplied freely available software; congressional scrutiny is expected to grow.