The presidential pardon given to the Former CEO of Binance aroused contradictory thoughts among the lawyers. Former U.S. Justice Department attorney labelled the presidential pardon given to former CEO of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, as one of the most corrupt acts done in the history of U.S. presidents.
Speaking on 60 Minutes, an American television news magazine, the former U.S. Department of Justice Pardon Attorney, Elizabeth Oyer, mentioned that Zhao was prosecuted as he was using his platform as a medium to finance terrorist groups such as ISIS, al Qaeda, and Hamas. Expressing her disgust, Oyer stated, “The influence that money played in securing this pardon is unprecedented.”.
However, Zhao’s personal attorney, Teresa Goody Guillén, denied allegations that the pardon was a pay-to-play. She said, “he was pardoned for justice.” She explained that the Binance founder was prosecuted on charges of Binance’s failure to implement an anti-money laundering program and not money laundering itself. “This is a regulatory infraction. There’s no money laundering involved,” As such, Guillén added that Zhao’s case had no grounds for prosecution, much less a presidential pardon.
Reinforcing her argument, she said it was a pile-up of information. “You’ll see a media report, citing a media report, citing a media report, and there’s no basis for it other than sources that are close to somebody, which is kind of code for not a strong source.”
Guillén also mentioned that just because the USD 1 stablecoin of World Liberty Finance was issued on the Binance Smart Chain, it does not mean that there was a special connection between Trump and Zhao. She also refuted claims that World Liberty Finance was owned by the Trump family, saying that there was no solid evidence supporting it.
A crypto netizen replying to Oyer’s clip mentioned that pardoning a crypto billionaire who helped the president make his lifestyle better is not mercy or reform, it’s part of a deal.
Meanwhile, another commentator wrote, “POTUS doesn’t give two [expletive] about America
The wealth magazine currently estimates Trump’s net worth at $6.5 billion, noting that it has almost doubled in the year since he secured his return to the White House, largely thanks to his family’s lucrative cryptocurrency ventures.”
