Trump Grants Full Pardon After CZ Buys Off His Entire Inner-Circle Of Friends

Trump has granted Binance's founder, Changpeng "CZ" Zhao a full pardon, but not without a hefty price. According to multiple reports, CZ's pardon came only after one of the most expensive lobbying pushes in recent history, with Binance allegedly spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to secure his release.

Sources revealed that Binance hired Trump-linked lobbyist Ches McDowell and his firm, Checkmate Government Relations for a staggering $450,000 in just one month — a sum that critics have called the “price tag of freedom.”

Binance also paid $290,000 to former SEC chair contender Teresa Goody Guillén to build its legal case and open high-level doors in Washington.

In total, Binance and Zhao’s political maneuvering cost well over three-quarters of a million dollars — and that’s not counting the earlier millions spent in previous years trying to rebuild bridges with U.S. regulators. Whether this was a savvy investment or an audacious power play depends on perspective, but one thing is clear: CZ didn’t just win a pardon; he bought back a future for himself.

A Presidential Pardon That Redrew the Crypto Map

The pardon, signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on October 22, instantly wiped away CZ’s criminal conviction from 2023 — a conviction that had seen him serve a four-month federal prison sentence for violating U.S. Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws.

Zhao had pleaded guilty to failing to implement effective AML controls at Binance, admitting that the exchange’s lax compliance enabled illicit money flows during its rapid global expansion. As part of his plea deal, he stepped down as CEO, paid a $50 million fine and swore to take another step in Binance again-until Trump’s surprise move changed everything.

In a fiery statement, Trump said CZ had been “persecuted by the Biden administration” and promised to end what he called a “political war on crypto.” In return, CZ vowed to “make America the capital of crypto” and to help rebuild the nation’s Web3 leadership.

Months prior, Zhao hinted at a potential pardon after changing his social media bio from “ex-Binance” back to simply “Binance”, a symbolic move that sent the crypto community into overdrive. Rumors surged that Binance could be preparing a comeback in the U.S., with industry leaders speculating that the pardon might open the door for the exchange’s re-entry into American markets after its 2023 ban.

Binance’s Lobbying Machine — Buying Freedom, Building Power

Behind the scenes, Binance’s lobbying push had been months in the making. In September, the company quietly retained Checkmate Government Relations, a fast-rising Washington firm closely tied to Donald Trump Jr., to lobby the White House and Treasury Department on “executive relief.” The campaign was swift and aggressive — Checkmate received nearly half a million dollars for just four weeks of work.

Binance also tapped Teresa Goody Guillén, a crypto lawyer once under consideration for SEC Chair under Trump, whose firm pocketed nearly $300,000 in early 2024. Together, these moves formed a high-stakes lobbying blitz designed to soften Binance’s image and reposition CZ not as a rule-breaker, but as a misunderstood innovator caught in political crossfire.

The results speak for themselves: a presidential pardon, a public endorsement from Trump, and an open invitation for Binance to resume its American ambitions.The decision immediately split Washington down party lines.

Democratic lawmakers Maxine Waters and Elizabeth Warren blasted the pardon as a “massive favor for crypto criminals” and a “dangerous precedent.” Waters accused Trump of turning the White House into a “crypto clubhouse,” claiming that Zhao’s pardon came after “months of lobbying and funneling billions into Trump’s personal crypto venture, World Liberty Financial.”

Trump’s allies, however, saw the move as visionary. They argued that the Biden administration’s crackdown on crypto had driven innovation offshore, and that CZ’s pardon symbolized a turning point — an olive branch to the digital economy and a signal that the U.S. was back in the game.

Industry figures, too, seemed divided but intrigued. BNB Network CEO David Namdar called the pardon “an inflection point” that could pave the way for Binance’s return to the U.S. He noted that BNB’s resilience and recent all-time highs underscored how much market confidence CZ still commanded.

From Convict to Kingmaker: The Politics of Crypto Power

With his record cleared and political winds shifting in his favor, CZ’s comeback now mirrors the larger narrative of crypto’s uneasy relationship with government power. His release wasn’t just about personal redemption — it marked the beginning of a new political era in which crypto money openly influences political decision-making.

In the Biden years, crypto was treated as a regulatory headache; under Trump, it’s becoming a political asset. The pardon demonstrates how the lines between finance, influence, and governance are blurring faster than ever — and how crypto’s biggest players are no longer just building exchanges but also buying access to power.

Whether Binance’s millions were the cost of justice or the price of control is up for debate. But one truth is undeniable: in 2025, crypto doesn’t just move markets — it moves governments.