Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) recently shared an X post in response to US Senator Elizabeth Warren’s allegations of fraud. In the post, CZ criticized the US Senator for misinterpreting his case, claiming that there were no money laundering accusations.
He further pointed out that Warren was a crypto skeptic, stating that five days before his sentencing, during the Biden Administration, Senator Warren announced a “war on crypto” on public television. “Is there a clearer example of how ‘Biden’s DOJ’ is being used against crypto?” he asked.
Trump’s decision to pardon CZ sparks controversy
The exchange between CZ and Senator Warren has fueled intense debate within the crypto community. This backlash followed US President Donald Trump’s public decision to pardon Zhao.
Following Trump’s move, democrat Warren shared an X post dated October 23, strongly criticizing CZ, accusing him of fraud and money laundering. According to the senator, CZ admitted to a crime of money laundering and received a prison sentence. However, Warren claimed he later funded Trump’s stablecoin and pushed for a pardon.
“Today, he received that pardon. If Congress fails to end this corruption, it will be responsible,” said the US Senator.
CZ asked Warren to prove her facts before concluding such allegations. Additionally, he received significant support from the cryptocurrency community.
Besides denying Warren’s claims, Zhao also refuted any direct involvement in funding USD1, Trump’s stablecoin initiative. World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance protocol and cryptocurrency firm, issued this project connected to Donald Trump and his family.
Nonetheless, a reliable source pointed out that Binance supplied the technical code for the token’s smart contract, which handled its creation and transfer. Later, it was discovered that this token was involved in a significant deal worth $2 billion, as a company in the UAE purchased a share of Binance.
Zhao openly rejected the report, referring to it as “another hit piece,” and claimed a competitor supported it. He accused the publication of spreading fear and false information in the crypto community.
Meanwhile, the former CEO of Binance expressed relief now that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit against him faced a major reversal following Trump’s pardon for banking violations.
Regarding CZ’s lawsuit, he was sentenced to a four-month prison term in April 2024 after pleading guilty to charges related to allowing money laundering activities at his cryptocurrency exchange. The federal prosecutors complained that the sentence imposed on Zhao was less than the three years they had requested.
News of Zhao’s pardon demonstrates a bullish market for BNB
In pardoning Zhao, Trump stated, “They said what he did isn’t even a crime … I granted him a pardon at the request of many good people.” The declaration of his pardon has sparked debates among the cryptocurrency community, with some spreading rumors that CZ may be reinstated to his position at Binance. Concerning this rumor, they mentioned that it would be exciting to see if that happens soon.
In the meantime, sources have pointed out that Binance Coin (BNB), the primary cryptocurrency of the BNB Chain, has been ranked as one of the biggest gainers in today’s market following the news about CZ.
This was after BNB’s price surged by 5%, exceeding $1,130 once again. With this tremendous success, the sources have acknowledged that BNB has illustrated remarkable growth this year and has already risen more than 100% from its lowest point of $532.
Moreover, this recent escalation follows a 61% increase in trading volume to $5.74 billion, suggesting that traders are particularly bullish.
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