President Trump on Thursday pardoned the convicted founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to enabling money laundering while he was CEO of Binance. According to The Wall Street Journal, Binance struck a business deal with World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s crypto startup, which has generated $4.5 billion since Trump returned to office. Binance also reportedly hired lobbyist Charles McDowell, who is a close friend of Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. Republican Senator Thom Tillis blasted the pardon, saying it sends “a bad signal.” When asked about Zhao’s pardon, President Trump said, “I don’t know, he was recommended by a lot of people.”
