CZ’s Trump Pardon Didn’t Happen in a Single Phone Call – Lawyer Shares Details
Binance founder CZ's lawyer detailed that his pardon followed a standard, multi-step government review, not a single phone call.Summary
Teresa Goody Guillén, lawyer for Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, refuted claims that his pardon by former President Donald Trump resulted from a single backroom phone call. She explained that the process involved a formal application reviewed by the Justice Department's pardon attorney, a dedicated pardon office, and the White House Counsel's Office before the president granted final approval. Goody characterized CZ's case as a regulatory compliance matter concerning AML program failures, arguing he was unfairly targeted as the only executive prosecuted and imprisoned for such issues without fraud or victims, unlike CEOs of large financial institutions facing similar violations. Furthermore, she strongly denied allegations of pay-to-play schemes involving Trump-linked ventures like World Liberty Financial or its stablecoin, USD1, dismissing claims that USD1 running on BNB Chain indicated a special relationship, noting it exists on multiple chains. Goody confirmed that despite the pardon, CZ will not return to run Binance due to ongoing government oversight.
(Source：BeInCrypto)