Overview
- Zhao’s counsel Teresa Goody Guillén demanded that Elizabeth Warren retract her Oct. 23 X post and threatened a defamation suit if it remained online.
- In a reply letter, Warren’s attorney Ben Stafford said the post is accurate, relies on DOJ statements and court records, and that any lawsuit would be without merit.
- Legal commentators noted Zhao would need to prove actual malice as a public figure, a hurdle widely viewed as difficult under U.S. defamation law.
- Court and DOJ records show Zhao pleaded guilty in November 2023 to violating the Bank Secrecy Act and was sentenced in April 2024 to four months by a Seattle court.
- The exchange follows Trump’s Oct. 23 pardon of Zhao and reporting on Binance’s links to the Trump‑family crypto venture World Liberty Financial and related lobbying activity.