What Deal Did China’s CCP Make With Trump For Binance Founder’s Pardon?

In a move looking like shadowy political quid pro quo, U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a “full and unconditional pardon” to Changpeng Zhao (“CZ”), the China-born founder of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance. This stunning act of clemency comes despite government prosecutors previously stating that Zhao’s admitted role in enabling massive money laundering caused “significant harm to U.S. national security.” The pardon, granted just a month after Zhao completed a mere four-month sentence for his 2023 plea of guilty to anti-money laundering failures, immediately raises the specter of a deeply disturbing bargain with forces directly aligned with America’s…