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Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao is favored among a handful of federal criminal offenders to be pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump, a poll on Polymarket shows.
‘CZ’ Holds Lead in Presidential Pardon Poll
According to the poll titled “Who will Trump pardon in 2025,” Zhao is favored by a whopping 35% of participating bettors on the decentralized prediction website.
Congressional fraudster George Santos and “Bitcoin Jesus” Roger Ver trail behind the former Binance CEO with 10% of Polymarket bettors’ votes.
Other names in the poll with the potential to be pardoned include right-wing political pundit Steve Bannon, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Zhao pleaded guilty in November 2023 to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering (AML) program at Binance, which resulted in his resignation as the crypto company’s CEO.
Zhao previously toyed with the idea of being granted a pardon in December 2024, following then U.S. President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter, in two criminal cases.
“No wish to be CEO again,” Zhao said in an X post at the time. “But definitely wouldn’t mind a pardon.”
Senators Probe Binance’s Ties to Trump
Back in May, Zhao confirmed in a podcast appearance that he officially filed for a pardon from Trump.
Shortly thereafter, key Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, wrote to White House Counsel David Warrington and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, demanding answers about the status of Zhao’s potential pardon.
“Just weeks ago, Binance, Emirati firm MGX, and World Liberty Financial (WLF) — a cryptocurrency company financially linked to President Trump and his family — announced a $2 billion deal involving USD1, WLF’s stablecoin,” the letter reads.
“The convergence of Mr. Zhao’s pardon application and Binance’s financial entanglements with the President’s family presents urgent concerns regarding the integrity of our justice system,” they added.
However, whether Zhao will be relieved of his criminal conviction stateside is still unclear
