Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao went on Fox News Friday, saying he was “a little bit surprised” when Trump pardoned him, and flat-out denied having any business ties to the Trump family despite media reports suggesting otherwise.
“We have never met. We have never talked,” CZ told Bret Baier in an exclusive interview, referring to President Trump. Trump himself said the same thing during a “60 Minutes” interview Sunday.
The whole controversy stems from a Wall Street Journal report claiming Binance cut a “deal” with Trump’s family crypto project, World Liberty Financial, that led to the pardon. CZ called that reporting “categorically false” and said there’s been no deal and never any discussions.
CZ pleaded guilty in 2023 to violating the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to implement proper anti-money laundering programs at Binance. He served four months in prison before Trump pardoned him on October 21st. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt framed the pardon as “officially ending the Biden administration’s war on the cryptocurrency industry.”
CZ admitted he did meet Eric Trump once at a Bitcoin conference in Abu Dhabi but denied any business relationship with Trump’s sons. When asked why he pleaded guilty, CZ said, “It’s the best way to confront the problem and solve it head-on,” and that he has nothing to debate about the charges.
He praised Trump’s GENIUS Act for providing regulatory clarity to the crypto industry.
Conclusion
Binance founder CZ denied Trump family business ties despite the pardon, calling Wall Street Journal reports “categorically false” while confirming he met Eric Trump once at an Abu Dhabi conference.
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