Trump's Crypto Pardon Raises Eyebrows and Questions

A recent presidential pardon has sparked a heated debate. The focus is on Changpeng Zhao, often called CZ, the head of Binance, the world's biggest crypto exchange. He was found guilty of breaking anti-money laundering rules in 2023. Binance had to pay a huge fine of $4 billion. CZ himself had to pay $50 million and served four months in jail. The pardon came from President Donald Trump. The White House said it was because the Biden administration was tough on crypto. They even declared that the "war on crypto is over. " But not everyone agrees with this move. The Wall Street Journal, owned by Rupert Murdoch, wrote a strong opinion piece. They pointed out that CZ's company recently dealt with a $2 billion transaction linked to the Trump family's cryptocurrency. This happened just days before CZ asked for a pardon. The Journal left it to readers to decide if there was a connection.Trump said he pardoned CZ because many people asked him to. He claimed that CZ was not guilty of anything. But CZ himself admitted in his plea deal that he ignored illegal activities on his platform. This included money laundering for terrorists and cybercriminals. Over $890 million was moved between the U. S. and Iran through Binance. Even billionaire Joe Lonsdale criticized the pardon. He said it makes it look like there is big fraud around Trump in the crypto world. The Wall Street Journal argued that the pardon reminds them of a similar controversial pardon by Bill Clinton. The pardon has raised questions about the president's judgment. It's a hot topic that's getting a lot of attention.