White House says Trump's pardon of CZ was reviewed with 'utmost seriousness'

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao's pardon underwent standard review procedures before reaching President Donald Trump's desk for final approval, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday in a press briefing.

Trump defended his decision to grant the pardon during a CBS News 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, claiming he didn't know who Zhao was and calling the prosecution a "Biden witch hunt."

Leavitt clarified Tuesday that Trump's remark was meant to indicate he did not know Zhao personally. "He means he does not know him personally," she said. "He means he does not have a personal relationship with this individual."

Leavitt said that the pardon process was handled with "utmost seriousness."

"We have a very thorough review process here that moves with the Department of Justice and the White House Counsel's Office," said Leavitt. "There's a whole team of qualified lawyers who look at every single pardon request that ultimately make their way up to the president of the United States."

Leavitt added that Zhao had been over-prosecuted by "a weaponized DOJ," echoing Trump's criticism of the prior administration's handling of the case.

"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," Trump said during the CBS interview. 

Last month, Trump pardoned Zhao, who had pleaded guilty in 2023 to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. Zhao served four months in prison before his release in September 2024.

Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump-linked World Liberty Financial had discussed acquiring a stake in Binance.US amid speculation that Zhao was seeking a presidential pardon. World Liberty dismissed the report as politically motivated. 

In May, Abu Dhabi–based MGX announced plans to use World Liberty's USD1 stablecoin in a $2 billion investment deal with Binance. However, Binance CEO Richard Teng distanced the company from the decision, stating that Binance "did not partake in that decision."