Key Highlights
- CZ’s lawyer, Teresa Goody Guillén, publicly rejected claims that his presidential pardon was the result of a secret deal or political payment.
- Guillén dismisses rumors of CZ sending Bitcoin to Trump, saying blockchain transparency makes such rumors false and impossible.
- Guillén claims CZ’s case was treated far more harshly than major banks, whose executives were never prosecuted for similar compliance failures.
Binance Co-Founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) has again been pulled into a political debate in the U.S., after his attorney Teresa Goody Guillén publicly rejected accusations that his presidential pardon was the result of hidden payments or backroom deals.
Speaking on Anthony Pompliano’s “Pomp Podcast,” Guillén said the online theories were nothing more than a “pile-up of false statements.” She emphasized that CZ would never secretly move Bitcoin to the U.S. President Donald Trump and noted that blockchain transactions are transparent.
“People are making these assumptions that just show a fundamental misunderstanding of how either business works or how blockchain works,” she added.
Last month, President Trump granted a full pardon to CZ, who had pleaded guilty in 2023 to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program and served four months in prison as part of a $4.3 billion Department of Justice (DOJ) settlement with Binance.
More recently, on X, CZ replied to a question about refunding the fine, stating that he hasn’t requested any refund and is already grateful for the pardon, adding that if any amount is ever returned, he would invest it back into the United States as a gesture of appreciation.
Pardon followed normal procedure
According to Guillén, Zhao’s pardon went through the usual channels, with a formal application reviewed by the Justice Department and the White House Counsel’s Office before Trump made the final call. She argued the case was treated unusually harshly compared with similar violations by financial institutions.
Guillén said that CZ’s conviction stemmed from Binance’s weak regulatory controls, not from laundering money, stressing there was “no fraud, no victims, no criminal history.”
According to her, American prosecutors handled the Binance case far more aggressively than similar cases involving major banks. “We don’t see any of their CEOs being prosecuted. And that never happens,” she added.
Guillén argued that after the FTX crash, the government wanted to show they were tough on crypto, so they looked for someone big to go after. In the end, Binance and CZ became the ones they targeted, despite the lack of fraud allegations that were central to the FTX case.
Rumors around USD1 and Trump dismissed
Online narratives have also tied CZ to Trump’s new crypto enterprise, World Liberty Financial, claiming that Binance’s involvement with its stablecoin USD1 helped secure the pardon. Guillén rejected this, calling it “misinformation.”
She also disputed the narrative that just because the stablecoin USD1 (linked to World Liberty) runs on Binance’s chain, it signals a corrupt relationship. She clarified that USD1 isn’t exclusive to Binance; it’s on multiple blockchains, and many exchanges use it.
Warren vs. CZ: A political flashpoint
Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized the pardon as a “corrupt” act, calling CZ’s plea “money laundering.” Guillén pushed back, saying Warren misrepresented what CZ was actually convicted of, which was the failure to implement controls, not the direct crime itself.
Warren’s legal team argued her comments relied on public records, while Guillén maintained they were inaccurate and needed correction. Critics on the political left see the pardon as problematic, while CZ’s lawyer insists it was based on merit and fairness.
Guillén dismissed claims that the pardon was rushed or influenced by hidden interests, explaining that pardons go through review teams, lawyers, and multiple government offices before reaching the president. She said those reviews concluded the prosecution didn’t align with long-standing practice.
Throughout it all, she said CZ stayed calm and steady, often more composed than the people around him.
Also Read: Fact Check: CZ Has Not Published His Autobiography; Warns of Fraud
