Trump's Binance Pardon: Just Another Day in the Swamp, Ain't It?
So, Trump pardoned the Binance founder, CZ, right? Changpeng Zhao, the guy who pleaded guilty to, ya know, not preventing money laundering. Money laundering that apparently helped terrorists... Al-Qaeda, Hamas, ISIS, the whole charming bunch. And now he's free as a bird, thanks to a Trump pardon.
Give me a break.
Elizabeth Oyer, the former pardon attorney, straight-up calls it "corruption." Says the influence of money in securing this pardon is "unprecedented." And get this: Binance donated software to a Trump family-linked crypto venture. World Liberty Financial, some kinda crypto thing. Without CZ's involvement, "the technology doesn't exist," according to some source. Months later, some Emirati fund dumps two billion into Binance, paid in World Liberty crypto. "It wasn't strange. It was nuts," another source says.
Nuts is an understatement.
The Quid Pro Quo That Isn't (But Totally Is)
Trump, of course, claims he doesn't know CZ, has never met him. "Persecuted by the Biden administration," he says. Right. And the White House denies any conflicts of interest. Eric Trump says his dad "has nothing to do with our company." Sure thing, buddy. Attorneys for Zhao and Binance claim they didn't provide technical support to World Liberty, but World Liberty's lawyers admit Binance supplied "freely available" software "simply to save WLF from wasting time." Riiiight.
It's like watching a bunch of toddlers trying to hide a stolen cookie jar. Except the cookie jar is billions of dollars and the toddlers are… well, you get the picture.
But here's the thing that really boils my blood: this isn't just about one pardon. Oyer says Trump is "selling off pieces of our democracy." And she's probably right. The rich and well-connected get a free pass, while everyone else gets screwed. It’s the American way, I guess.
And what about the Binance news today? The ICIJ report says Binance facilitated at least $408 million worth of tether (USDT) transactions for the organized crime-linked Huione Group after CZ pleaded guilty. So, they're still profiting from criminal activity even after getting caught? And then CZ gets a pardon? The timing is just... chefs kiss. Binance, OKX, HTX, Bybit, Kraken cited in ICIJ scam probe
But wait, are we actually surprised? Trump's been knee-deep in shady deals since day one. Remember Trump University? Or all those bankruptcies? This is just another Tuesday for the guy.
The Crypto Circus Continues
And let's not forget the crypto angle here. Trump and his sons are "into" crypto, according to Trump himself. "It's probably a great industry," he says. Yeah, great for scamming people out of their life savings and laundering money for terrorists.
And CZ? He's tweeting about how if Binance gets a refund of the $4.3 billion fine, they'll invest it in America. "To show our appreciation," he says. Binance will invest everything in America if it gets a refund after CZ pardon Give me another break! That's like a bank robber offering to donate some of the stolen cash to the local police department.
Senators Warren and Reed are raising concerns about the shady actors involved in World Liberty Financial's initial token offering. But some crypto "investigator" on X says it's only $10,000 from a $550 million deal. So, it's okay, right? I mean, what's a little bit of shady money laundering between friends?
Offcourse, this whole thing is ethically and morally bankrupt. Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig says any ordinary American would understand why that's a corrupting relationship. And he's right. But will anything actually happen? Probably not. There's no "smoking gun," apparently. No direct quid pro quo that could lead to legal liability for Trump. So, he gets away with it again.
Business as Usual, Baby
It's all perfectly legal, probably. And that's the most depressing part of it all. The system is rigged, the game is fixed, and the rich and powerful always win. We're just along for the ride, watching the world burn.
