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riversedge

(78,834 posts) Mon Nov 3, 2025, 12:49 AM Nov 3

Trump Claims He 'Doesn't Know' Crypto King He Pardoned -- Despite Previously Arguing Biden Pardons Should Be Void Because

Source: yahoo.com

Trump Claims He ‘Doesn’t Know’ Crypto King He Pardoned — Despite Previously Arguing Biden Pardons Should Be Void Because He Didn’t Know About Them

Sun, November 2, 2025 at 8:05 PM CST

Donald Trump told 60 Minutes Sunday that he had no idea who cryptocurrency Binance founder “CZ” was, even though the president recently pardoned the billionaire.

In her voiceover, O’Donnell said that so far this year, “The president has pardoned or shortened the sentences of more than 1,600 people. The latest pardon was for a cryptocurrency tycoon who is known as ‘CZ.’ The company CZ founded, Binance, helped boost the profile of the Trump family’s crypto firm, World Liberty Financial.”

“He pled guilty in 2023 to violating anti-money laundering laws,” O’Donnell said of CZ, adding, “The government at the time said that CZ had caused ‘Significant harm to U.S. National security,’ essentially by allowing terrorist groups like Hamas to move millions of dollars around. Why did you pardon him?”

“Okay, are you ready?” Trump said. “I don’t know who he is. I know he got a four-month sentence or something like that. And I heard it was a Biden witch hunt.”.....................

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-claims-doesn-t-know-020539507.html

Trump is dangerous and VERY BORING!!

LOL--" And I heard it was a Biden witch hunt.”........

5 replies

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Highlight:

Trump Claims He 'Doesn't Know' Crypto King He Pardoned -- Despite Previously Arguing Biden Pardons Should Be Void Because (Original Post) riversedge Nov 3 OP

It's a Mediaite article hosted at Yahoo, which hosts articles from a wide diverse variety of sources, including Fox, progree Nov 3 #1

He's lying. There is a visible and damning money trail from CZ to World Liberty. Eugene Nov 3 #2

He didn't know him other than the guy probably bought a lot of Trump's crypto Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Nov 3 #3

MaddowBlog-'I don't know who he is': Trump struggles to defend one of his most scandalous pardons LetMyPeopleVote Nov 3 #4

He's lying. He does know who he is. louis-t Nov 3 #5

progree

(12,548 posts)

1. It's a Mediaite article hosted at Yahoo, which hosts articles from a wide diverse variety of sources, including Fox,

Reply to riversedge (Original post)

Mon Nov 3, 2025, 02:30 AM

Nov 3

Last edited Mon Nov 3, 2025, 03:04 AM - Edit history (1)

in case anyone is interested in which organization's reporters and editors wrote the article.

Eugene

(66,598 posts)

2. He's lying. There is a visible and damning money trail from CZ to World Liberty.

Reply to riversedge (Original post)

Mon Nov 3, 2025, 09:00 AM

Nov 3

If he doesn't know, it's willful blindness, not senility.

Zhao facilitated investment into Trump's stablecoin from an Abu Dhabi state-owned company. The quid pro quo is brazen even by Trump standards.

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(130,983 posts)

3. He didn't know him other than the guy probably bought a lot of Trump's crypto

Reply to riversedge (Original post)

Mon Nov 3, 2025, 01:01 PM

Nov 3

Fixed it for you

LetMyPeopleVote

(172,659 posts)

4. MaddowBlog-'I don't know who he is': Trump struggles to defend one of his most scandalous pardons

Reply to riversedge (Original post)

Mon Nov 3, 2025, 01:14 PM

Nov 3

The president said that he pardoned Changpeng Zhao despite not knowing who he is. If he’s lying, that’s a problem. If he wasn’t, it’s worse.

Trump: President Autopen was so far gone, he didnâ€™t even know who he was pardoning.

Also Trump: I canâ€™t explain my corrupt pardon for Changpeng Zhao because I have no idea who he is. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-11-03T13:03:03.476Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/-dont-know-trump-struggles-defend-one-scandalous-pardons-rcna241547

A week later, the president sat down with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell for a “60 Minutes” interview, and the correspondent offered Trump another opportunity to explain what appeared to be a brazenly corrupt pardon. After having had a week to think about it, he still didn’t have much of an answer.

O'DONNELL: Why did you pardon Changpeng Zhao?

TRUMP: Are you ready? I don't know who he is

O'DONNELL: His crypto exchange Binance helped facilitate a b purchase of World Liberty Financial's stablecoin. And they you pardoned him.

TRUMP: Here's the thing -- I know nothing about it
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-11-03T00:56:08.488Z

.....The president replied, “OK, are you ready? I don’t know who he is.”

....“Well, here’s the thing, I know nothing about it because I’m too busy,” the Republican replied, adding, “I know nothing about the guy.”....

Complicating matters further, the White House and much of the Republican Party is heavily invested in the idea that Joe Biden was so impaired during his presidency that he signed pardons — or, more to the point, used an autopen to sign pardons — without knowing anything about the beneficiary of the clemency.

Indeed, during the same “60 Minutes” interview, Trump argued, “Biden didn’t have a clue. He illegally used, as you know, a machine, the autopen, in order to give pardons to people.”

The smear is ugly and baseless, but it’s also become a political dilemma of sorts for the president slandering his predecessor. On the one hand, Trump wants the public to believe Biden didn’t know who he was pardoning. On the other, Trump also wants the public to believe that he pardoned Zhao, despite having no idea who he is.

The Republican and his team have had plenty of time to work out a coherent set of talking points on this. That they’ve failed speaks volumes.

louis-t

(24,530 posts)

5. He's lying. He does know who he is.

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Reply #4)

Mon Nov 3, 2025, 07:16 PM

Nov 3

This is a rehearsed response.

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