Did CZ Pay For A Trump Pardon? His Lawyer Says Absolutely Not
US President Donald Trump granted a pardon in late October to Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the founding father of Binance, touching off a recent spherical of questions on whether or not enterprise offers and political favors have been linked to the clemency.
The transfer has cut up opinion: some lawmakers name for probes, whereas CZ’s authorized workforce insists the pardon was lawful and never on the market.
Binance And The Trump-Linked Venture
According to reporting, Binance performed a task in supporting a crypto firm tied to the Trump household, World Liberty Financial, as that enterprise rolled out a stablecoin referred to as USD1.
Reports say Binance engineers helped construct elements of the mission and {that a} main investor agreed to place roughly $2 billion into the enterprise, with some funds reportedly organized in USD1 tokens.
DL News reviews that CZ’s lawyer Teresa Goody Guillen denied any ‘pay-to-play’ association behind President Trump’s October pardon of Changpeng Zhao, telling the Pomp Podcast there was no deal. She additionally refuted media claims that ties amongst Binance, World Liberty Financial and the… pic.twitter.com/lLq52dt6fF
— Ashir (@roomchanger2) November 17, 2025
CZ’s previous conviction has sharpened scrutiny. He pleaded responsible in 2023 to costs tied to failures in stopping illicit use of the trade.
He served 4 months behind bars earlier than later receiving the presidential pardon in October. Those information have been extensively reported and are cited by critics who argue the timing and enterprise ties advantage a better look.
Lawyer’s Denial On The Pomp Podcast
CZ’s legal professional, Teresa Goody Guillén, has publicly rejected claims that the pardon was tied to any “pay-to-play” association.
Based on reviews of her Pomp Podcast look, she described the allegations as a “pile up of numerous false statements” and mentioned she has seen no proof that the pardon was traded for money or crypto.
Guillén additionally challenged characterizations that World Liberty Financial is solely “the Trump household’s firm.”
Binance itself has pushed again. Company statements and reporting attribute the big USD1-related funding resolution to an investor group somewhat than to Binance instantly, and Binance leaders have denied negotiating a pardon in trade for enterprise assist.
That denial has not ended calls from some lawmakers for fuller transparency about conferences, agreements, and transfers tied to the USD1 rollout.
Lawmakers And Watchdogs Respond
Based on congressional feedback and information protection, critics together with some senators have urged investigations to find out whether or not the pardon adopted improper affect or conflicts of curiosity.
They level to the dimensions of the reported $2 billion deal and to conferences between enterprise figures and Trump associates as causes to hunt paperwork and sworn testimony.
At the identical time, defenders of the pardon argue the authorized case in opposition to CZ was slim, restricted to compliance failures somewhat than fraud.
Featured picture from Getty Images, chart from TradingView
