Trump pardon of crypto billionaire sparks concerns over his use of the pardon power

Reporting cited here

1. reported

   CBS reported that sources said Binance donated software used by World Liberty Financial and described the later $2 billion MGX investment settled with USD1 before Trump's pardon of Zhao. Counsel for Zhao and Binance denied providing technical support, personnel, or other resources; WLF counsel said Binance supplied freely available software only to save development time and said WLF neither contacted Trump about Zhao nor played a role in the pardon. AP separately reported Zhao's lawyer denied any link or quid pro quo between Binance's Trump-family business and the pardon.

   60 Minutes transcript, paragraphs 115–167: source accounts, MGX/USD1 sequence, Trump statement, and Binance/WLF denials

   Reporting examines Binance-WLF support and USD1 links before Zhao's pardon · Pardoned October 21, 2025; Binance-WLF technical-support accounts remain disputed