White House Ramps Up Pardon Talks for Binance Founder

Possible pardon for ex-Binance CEO sparks debate inside White House

The White House has ramped up talks for a possible pardon of the high profile crypto tycoon Changpeng “CZ” Zhao – sparking a fierce debate inside the administration about optics as Trump’s family cuts a flurry of crypto deals, The Post has learned.

The 48-year-old founder of the giant crypto exchange Binance – who spent four months in US prison last year – said in May he petitioned President Trump for a pardon of his guilty plea over a single count of violating the Bank Secrecy Act and failing to maintain proper anti-money laundering controls when he was Binance’s CEO.

On Friday, this reporter broke the news on X that discussions inside the White House have recently heated up on the possibility of a Trump pardon, which could set the stage for CZ’s return to Binance, since he remains the company’s largest shareholder.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao leaving the U.S. District Court. Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, who spent four months in US prison last year, has said he petitioned President Trump for a pardon.

How ‘TBPN’ Became Silicon Valley’s Newest Obsession

John Coogan, Mr. Hays’ 36-year-old business partner, dressed nearly identically, looked on with a smirk. Mr. Coogan, who at 6-foot-8 towers over everyone he meets, was slouched in his chair to fit into the frame of the shot. The two sat at a table piled high with tech company swag, copies of that morning’s Wall Street Journal and Financial Times, a dozen half-empty cans of Yerba Mate and Diet Coke, and microphones and laptops.

At 11 a.m. on the dot each weekday, they begin livestreaming “TBPN” — “Technology Business Programming Network” — a three-hour-long chat show of boosterish commentary on the worlds of tech and business.

The “TBPN” formula is simple: Two self-aware fellas who treat techno-capitalism like a Fantasy Football league, chronicling a ticker-tape dribble of executive moves, corporate acquisitions, initial public offerings and venture capital funding. Call it SportsCenter for the terminally online M.B.A. grad.

Entering the Arena

This book tells the spectacular history of women lawyers at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY). SDNY is a storied institution, the oldest federal prosecutor’s office in the United States and its most renowned—and a critical player in New York City’s high-stakes legal arena. But its history has been only sparsely written about, and this is the first book to share the riveting account of how SDNY’s doors came to open to women lawyers.