President Trump reiterated his claim that he does not know who Binance founder Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao is during an interview with CBS News.
Trump granted Zhao a presidential pardon in October, nearly a year after the Binance founder pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act and served a four-month prison sentence.
Trump told CBS’s Norah O’Donnell that Zhao “was treated really badly by the Biden administration,” and described the former Binance chief as a “victim of government guns.” The president added that he had been told that Zhao “was set up” and that his pardon was aimed at ensuring that the United States remained competitive in the cryptocurrency sector.
“I don’t know the man at all. I don’t think I’ve ever met him,” Trump said during the CBS interview. “Maybe I did. Or, you know, somebody shook my hand or something. But I don’t think I ever met him. I have no idea who he is. I was told he was a victim, just like I was and like a lot of other people.”
During the CBS interview, Trump dismissed questions about conflicts of interest, emphasized his focus on keeping the United States “number one in crypto” and insisted that his sons’ business ventures were separate from the government.
“My sons are into it. I’m glad they are,” he said. “They’re running a business, they’re not in government.”
Critics, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, have called the pardon a clear example of “pay for play,” noting Zhao’s financial ties to Trump-linked ventures.
A lawyer representing Zhao told the New York Post that he considers Warren’s statements defamatory.
