WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Sunday said he did not know anything about Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire crypto exchange founder with close ties to the Trump family’s own crypto empire — despite the fact that he he pardoned him last month.
“I don’t know who he is,” Trump said when asked on CBS’s “60 Minutes” why he pardoned him.
“I can only tell you this. My sons are into it,” Trump added. “I’m glad they are, because it’s probably a great industry, crypto. I think it’s good.”
“I know nothing about the guy,” Trump said again when pressed.
He claimed that Zhao, also known as “CZ,” was the victim of the “weaponization” of the Justice Department, without providing further details. At the time of the guilty plea deal, federal prosecutors said Zhao caused “significant harm to US national security.”
Trump’s acknowledgement that he knows very little about one of his own pardon recipients comes as the president and his Republican allies continue to attack former President Joe Biden, claiming that he wasn’t aware of many of his official acts as president — including pardons — because his staff used an autopen signature.
“I guarantee you he knew nothing about what he was signing, I guarantee you,” Trump said in July.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee last month called some of Biden’s executive actions, including pardons, “illegitimate.” On his way out of office, Biden issued a number of pre-emptive pardons for prominent Democrats and his own family members.
Biden has called the Republican allegations “ridiculous and false.” Past presidents, including Trump, have, at times, used an autopen signature; Trump has maintained that it wasn’t for anything important.
The White House did not return a request for comment.
Zhao, who founded the Binance crypto exchange, was sentenced to four months in prison as part of a 2023 deal with the Justice Department that required he plead guilty to helping enable money laundering at his exchange, which also has a business relationship with World Liberty Financial. That firm was co-founded by the president’s sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., and has administered many of crypto projects tied to the president’s family.
As part of the deal, Binance was ordered to pay $4 billion in fines, while Zhao personally paid $50 million in fines and issued an apology. He continues to hold a major stake in the exchange.
World Liberty Financial’s main crypto coin runs on an exchange that Binance administers, The Wall Street Journal has previously reported.
Trump was asked during the “60 Minutes” interview about the potential conflict of interest of him pardoning someone in a direct business relationship with his family. He responded he knew nothing about the issue.
“Well, here’s the thing, I know nothing about it because I’m too busy doing the other—” Trump responded, before being interrupted and pressed further.
Because of the sweeping nature of the financial crimes and the direct entanglements with Trump’s family, the pardon received quick pushback, including from some Republicans. Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., at the time called it a “bad signal.”
A Biden spokesperson declined to comment on Trump’s latest remarks, but pointed NBC News to a social media post by former Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates, who posed a question that Republicans increasingly asked during Biden’s term in office.
“Who’s running the White House?” he posted in direct response to a story about Trump claiming not to know who Zhao was.
On Monday morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has been among those critical of Biden, brushed off questions about Trump’s pardon admission.
“I don’t know anything about it,” he told reporters.
