Trump Faces Scrutiny After Pardoning Binance CEO Unknown to Him

President Donald Trump faced widespread criticism and scrutiny after admitting in a 60 Minutes interview that he did not know Changpeng Zhao, the Binance cryptocurrency founder whom he recently pardoned despite Zhao's guilty plea to federal money laundering charges. Trump justified the pardon by claiming it was a "Biden witch hunt" and emphasized his limited knowledge of crypto, attributing much of the involvement to his sons. This stance drew sharp rebukes, especially considering Trump's prior harsh criticism of President Joe Biden's use of an autopen to sign pardons, which Trump claimed indicated Biden's lack of awareness. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had condemned Biden's pardons as uninformed, declined to comment on Trump's admission, highlighting a perceived hypocrisy within Republican leadership. Critics pointed out that Zhao's Binance was implicated in facilitating transactions linked to terrorist groups and child exploitation, raising serious concerns about the pardon and its implications. The controversy underscores ongoing tensions over presidential pardon powers and the political weaponization of clemency.