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Trump's CZ Pardon: A Numbers Game of Deniability
Trump claims ignorance about pardoning Binance's CZ. Okay, let's unpack this claim with a bit of data-driven skepticism.
The Billion-Dollar Blind Spot
The former president's CBS "60 Minutes" interview is… interesting. He states, point blank, "I don't know who he is," referring to Changpeng Zhao, the Binance founder he pardoned. Now, either Trump is suffering from a convenient memory lapse, or we're witnessing a masterclass in plausible deniability. Trump says he has 'no idea who' Binance's CZ is after pardoning him
Binance, let's remember, agreed to a $4.3 billion settlement in 2023 for failing to combat money laundering. That's a hefty sum—one of the largest corporate penalties in U.S. history, according to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland. You'd think a penalty of that magnitude would register, even with someone who claims to know "very little" about crypto.
Trump also claims Zhao was "treated really badly by the Biden administration," calling it a "witch hunt." This narrative conveniently aligns with Trump's broader claims of political persecution. However, Zhao pleaded guilty to a federal charge. The timeline of events doesn't quite support Trump’s claim that Biden “set him up.” Zhao stepped down as CEO in late 2023. He was sentenced and released in September 2024.
The question here isn't whether Zhao was treated fairly (that's a legal debate). The question is why Trump, claiming total ignorance, would pardon someone he believes was unfairly targeted by his political opponents. It's a discrepancy that begs for closer scrutiny.
The Family Crypto Connection
Trump mentions his sons being "involved in crypto much more than I— me." This is where the story gets even murkier. While details are scarce, there was a crypto venture linked to Trump's family that somehow involved Binance. (The specifics of this venture remain somewhat opaque, but the connection exists). I've looked at hundreds of these filings, and the level of opaqueness here is unusual.
If Trump truly had "no idea" who CZ was, how did Binance become involved in a venture even tangentially related to his family? The probability of that happening by pure chance seems statistically improbable.
He frames his pardon as a strategic move to keep the U.S. competitive in the crypto industry, stating, "And if we're not gonna be the head of it, China, Japan, or someplace else is." This argument implies a level of understanding about the crypto landscape that directly contradicts his claim of knowing "very little about it."
It's a classic case of wanting to have your cake and eat it too. He wants to appear ignorant to avoid scrutiny but also knowledgeable enough to justify a controversial pardon on economic grounds. (The cognitive dissonance is strong with this one).
The Autopen Paradox
Trump's criticism of Biden's use of an "autopen" for pardons adds another layer of irony. He argues that Biden couldn't have known about the pardons he signed via autopen. Yet, he claims to know nothing about CZ while simultaneously asserting that CZ was a victim of a "vicious, horrible group of people in the Biden administration."
This isn't just a contradiction; it's a logical fallacy. If Biden's pardons are invalid because he didn't know the details, then surely Trump's pardon of someone he claims to know nothing about is even more questionable. The hypocrisy is palpable.
Selective Amnesia: A Convenient Tool
The numbers and the narrative simply don't align. Trump's claim of ignorance is, at best, a strategic misdirection and, at worst, a blatant falsehood. The pardon of CZ, the Binance settlement, and the Trump family's crypto connections paint a picture far more complex than the former president is willing to admit. The question isn't whether Trump knows CZ. The question is, why is he so keen on pretending he doesn't?