Former U.S. President Donald Trump defended his pardon of Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao "CZ," claiming he does not personally know the crypto executive and dismissing criticisms that the move was politically motivated.
Trump, in an interview with CBS News' "60 Minutes" on Sunday, stated that he does not know CZ, reiterating his previous comments made after pardoning CZ in late October.
When asked about the pardon, Trump responded in the interview, "Well, are you ready? I don’t know who he is." He added that he heard CZ's case was "Biden's political persecution."
Trump's comments about the former Binance CEO came after a series of allegations suggesting that Binance's relationship with crypto businesses linked to the Trump family could present a conflict of interest. CZ admitted to assisting in money laundering in 2023.
When CBS anchor Norah O'Donnell pressed Trump about reports that Binance facilitated a $2 billion stablecoin purchase related to Trump-backed World Liberty Financial (WLFI) before the pardon, Trump dismissed the claim.
"Well, here's the thing, I know nothing about it because I'm too busy dealing with other things," the president said.
After O'Donnell interrupted to say, "But he got pardoned," Trump replied:
Regarding CZ, Trump said, "I know nothing about this person other than hearing he is a victim of government weaponization." He referred to what he called the "corrupt government" under the Biden administration.
Trump continued, "I only care about one thing." He stated that he wants to "make crypto great for America," adding:
"If you go after people, you will stifle this industry, and that would be very bad," the president concluded.
Related: CZ denies being the mastermind behind the Kyrgyzstan crypto private banking proposal
Original article: “Trump Defends Pardon of CZ: Doesn’t Know the Crypto Executive, but His Sons ‘Are Involved’”
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