‘I don't know who he is,’ Trump declares after pardoning crypto mogul Zhao
When Donald Trump engaged in presidential pardons, one might have expected the name of Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange, to be well-known. However, Trump surprisingly declared, “I don’t know who he is.” This is remarkable, considering his signature was vital to dismiss allegations of money laundering and national security risks that threatened to land Zhao in prison for four months. Trump attributed the situation to a “witch hunt” orchestrated by Joe Biden.
In an attempt to clarify, Norah O’Donnell, a senior correspondent for CBS News, asked how Binance had facilitated the purchase of a $2 billion stablecoin for the Trump family venture, World Liberty Financial. In response, Trump candidly admitted he was unaware of the details, claiming that he was too busy. The US president pointed out that his sons, who do not work in the government, are the ones engaged in cryptocurrency, asserting that there are no conflicts of interest. For him, crypto is simply a “wonderful industry.”
Notably, Zhao pleaded guilty to facilitating money laundering in 2023. He agreed to pay a $4.3 billion fine and served a four-month prison term. Nevertheless, US Senator Elizabeth Warren labeled his clemency “an example of political corruption,” to which Trump responded with his trademark sarcasm and the now-famous line, “I don’t know who he is.”