Changpeng Zhao

60 Minutes Investigation: Former DOJ Officials Call Trump's Binance Pardon 'Unprecedented Corruption'

| Importance: 9/10

On November 16, 2025, CBS News’ 60 Minutes aired a major investigative report examining President Trump’s October 23, 2025 pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, revealing extensive financial ties between Zhao’s cryptocurrency empire and the Trump family’s crypto venture. …

CBS News 60 Minutes Scott Pelley Elizabeth Oyer Lawrence Lessig +5 more media-investigation corruption pardons cryptocurrency binance +4 more
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Trump Admits on 60 Minutes He Doesn't Know Changpeng Zhao, the Binance Founder He Pardoned

| Importance: 9/10

On November 3, 2025, President Trump admitted during a CBS “60 Minutes” interview with Norah O’Donnell that he does not know who Changpeng Zhao is—the Binance cryptocurrency founder he pardoned just 11 days earlier on October 23, 2025. When asked why he pardoned Zhao, Trump stated: …

Donald Trump Norah O'Donnell Changpeng Zhao CBS News 60 Minutes +2 more pardons corruption cryptocurrency 60-minutes binance +4 more
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Binance and CEO Changpeng Zhao Plead Guilty to Money Laundering in $4.3 Billion DOJ Settlement

| Importance: 10/10

Binance Holdings Limited, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act, failure to register as a money transmitting business, and violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in the largest corporate criminal penalty in …

Changpeng Zhao Binance Department of Justice Merrick Garland Lisa Monaco +5 more crypto regulatory-capture money-laundering fraud sanctions-violations +4 more
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FTX Cryptocurrency Exchange Collapses in $32 Billion Fraud, Exposing Crypto Regulation Failure

| Importance: 10/10

FTX cryptocurrency exchange, Alameda Research, and over 100 affiliated entities file for bankruptcy following the exposure of systematic fraud by founder Sam Bankman-Fried. The collapse was triggered on November 2 when CoinDesk revealed that Alameda Research—FTX’s affiliated trading firm owned …

Sam Bankman-Fried FTX Alameda Research Changpeng Zhao Binance +2 more corruption fraud regulatory-capture tech cryptocurrency +3 more
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