Warren Calls Trump’s Binance Founder Pardon “Political Corruption”

US President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon Changpeng Zhao has resurfaced, sparking a heated debate. Senator Elizabeth Warren leads the charge against the decision, criticizing Trump for alleged political corruption.

Notably, Warren's remarks on the Binance founder pardon come after reports emerged that Zhao had been seeking closer ties with the President’s circle, including backing initiatives related to the Trump family's crypto ventures.

Senator Warren Slams Trump’s Binance Founder Pardon

In a recent X post , Senator Elizabeth Warren shared a scathing criticism of the US President’s Binance founder pardon. She addressed it as a clear example of political corruption that Congress must address.

She emphasized that CZ pleaded guilty to a criminal money laundering charge, financed Trump's stablecoin project, and then received forgiveness. Her post read,

“CZ pleaded guilty to a criminal money laundering charge and was sentenced to prison. But then he financed President Trump’s stablecoin and lobbied for a pardon. Today, he got it. If Congress does not stop this kind of corruption, it owns it.”

On Wednesday, the President let Zhao off from his charges. According to insiders, Trump reportedly believed prosecutors had unfairly targeted Changpeng Zhao and viewed the case as weak, not warranting a felony charge or prison sentence. They said, “The fraud case against Changpeng Zhao, known in the digital space simply as CZ, was pretty weak, and certainly not something that merited a felony charge and jail time.”

Previously, in May, Warren wrote to White House Counsel David Warrington,

“The convergence of Mr Zhao’s pardon application and Binance’s financial entanglements with the President’s family presents urgent concerns regarding the integrity of our justice system.”

In addition to the Senator, former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also believed that CZ didn’t deserve an excuse. Previously, she stated,

“Binance turned a blind eye to its legal obligations in the pursuit of profit. Its willful failures allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers through its platform.”

CZ Denies Claims

Zhao denied direct involvement in financing Trump's stablecoin project, USD1, issued by World Liberty Financial, a company tied to the president's family. However, a Bloomberg report revealed that the exchange contributed technical code for the token's smart contract, which played a role in a $2 billion transaction involving a UAE-based firm's investment in the platform.

He had previously denied a Wall Street Journal report that claimed he sought a presidential mercy from the administration in exchange for a business deal involving Binance US. Claiming that the article was an attack on the government and crypto, he added, “More than 20 people have told me they were asked by the WSJ, ‘Can you confirm that CZ made some deal for a pardon?’”