A 60 Minutes investigation aired Sunday alleges that President Donald Trump�s pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao followed a series of financial interactions that directly benefited the Trump family�s crypto ventures � a sequence one former Justice Department official called �unprecedented.�
Correspondent Scott Pelley opened the segment by reporting that Zhao�s company �supported a Trump family firm at critical moments leading up to the president�s pardon� in October 2025. Zhao, who served four months on anti�money laundering charges, was released in September 2024.
Pelley interviewed Elizabeth Oyer, the former U.S. Pardon Attorney under President Joe Biden, who bluntly condemned the circumstances surrounding Zhao�s clemency. �The influence that money played in securing this pardon is unprecedented,� she said. �The self-dealing aspect of the pardon� is also unprecedented.�
According to Pelley�s sources, Zhao �donated software� to World Liberty Financial � a crypto firm closely tied to Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. � helping the family launch its own cryptocurrency. �The next month, Changpeng Zhao applied for a presidential pardon,� Pelley noted.
Reuters previously reported that Trump�s two eldest sons �raked in more than $800 million� from crypto-asset sales in early 2025. Pelley added that a UAE fund invested $2 billion into Binance using World Liberty crypto � a decision one source called �nuts.�
Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig said the arrangement raises serious ethical concerns. �The only reason it makes sense is to ingratiate with the president,� he told Pelley. Pressed on whether Trump is �compromised,� Lessig responded: ��Compromised� is exactly the description� We can�t know whether decisions are helping America, or helping America and helping them privately.�
The UAE fund told 60 Minutes the investment was based solely on �business suitability.�
The report comes weeks after Trump sat for his first 60 Minutes interview since settling his lawsuit against CBS � and months after Pelley publicly warned that �freedom of speech is under attack� in the early phase of Trump�s second term.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
1 Response
But the degenerate adulterous felon says he doesn’t even know the fellow he pardoned or anything about him.
Numerous people he has pardoned have been arrested for new crimes. I haven’t seen any reporting about anyone Biden pardoned being arrested for new crimes.