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Fortune
Fortune
Ben Weiss

Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao two years after the crypto billionaire’s guilty plea

Changpeng Zhao looks of camera in front of blank wall. (Credit: Samsul Said—Bloomberg/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump has pardoned Changpeng Zhao, founder of the world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed to Fortune on Thursday. “President Trump exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for Mr. Zhao, who was prosecuted by the Biden administration in their war on cryptocurrency,” she said in a statement. The Wall Street Journal first broke the news, reporting that Trump signed the pardon on Wednesday.

“Deeply grateful for today’s pardon and to President Trump for upholding America’s commitment to fairness, innovation, and justice,” said Zhao in a post on X.

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