Trump Denies Political Motives Behind CZ Pardon
Says: “I Don’t Know Him”
U.S. President Donald Trump defended his decision to grant a pardon to Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) last October, stressing that he does not know him personally and rejecting allegations that the move was politically motivated.
In an interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes, Trump said:
> “Okay, are you ready? I don’t know who he (CZ) is.”
The U.S. president described CZ’s legal case as a “Biden witch hunt,” dismissing claims of any conflict of interest involving his family’s participation in cryptocurrency projects such as World Liberty Financial (WLFI).
Earlier reports suggested that Binance had facilitated the purchase of $2 billion worth of stablecoins linked to WLFI, sparking public speculation that CZ and Trump were collaborating for their mutual business interests.
However, Trump denied any connection between the pardon and his business dealings, saying:
> “Here’s the thing—I don’t know anything about that because I’m too busy working on other things.”
Trump also acknowledged that his children are involved in the crypto business, but clarified that they are not part of the government.
He added:
> “I don’t know anything about that guy (CZ), except that I’ve heard he’s a victim of government weaponization,”
referring to the Biden administration’s tough stance on cryptocurrencies.
Trump said his decision to pardon CZ was also driven by a desire to support the growth of the crypto industry in the U.S.:
> “Crypto has become a very big industry, if you want to call it that. And I’m very proud to say we are far ahead of China and all other countries. China is moving into it very aggressively,”
Trump concluded.@CZ
#TRUMP #cryptocurrency #cryptotrading #cryptonews #MarketPullback