Johnson dodges question about Binance pardon after Trump said he knew ‘nothing’ about it
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) avoided commenting on the pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao after former President Donald Trump stated on “60 Minutes” that he knew “nothing” about Zhao. zhao, who pleaded guilty to failing to prevent money laundering on his cryptocurrency exchange and served a four-month jail sentence, was pardoned by Trump. Trump also dismissed knowledge of Zhao and his involvement in crypto, attributing more familiarity to his sons and emphasizing support for the crypto industry, stressing its global importance. Meanwhile, Republicans have criticized President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen to sign executive orders and pardons, questioning biden’s direct involvement and raising concerns about the legitimacy of those actions. Johnson has echoed these concerns, calling for investigations into pardons signed via autopen. The crypto sector has found some support from the Trump governance, with Zhao’s pardon being part of this broader dynamic.
Johnson dodges question about Binance pardon after Trump said he knew ‘nothing’ about it
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Monday he “doesn’t know anything about that,” when asked about the crypto billionaire President Donald Trump said he knew “nothing” about after pardoning him.
“I don’t know anything about that. I didn’t see the interview,” Johnson said. “You’ll have to ask the president about that. I’m not sure.”
Trump told CBS News’s Norah O’Donnell on “60 Minutes” Sunday that he knows “nothing” about Binance founder Changpeng Zhao after pardoning him. Zhao, the former CEO of Binance, pleaded guilty to failing to combat money laundering on his crypto exchange and was subsequently sentenced to four months in jail, from which he was released in September 2024.
“I don’t know who he is,” Trump said. “I know he got a four-month sentence or something like that. And I heard it was a Biden witch hunt.”
“My sons are involved in crypto much more than me,” he added. “I know very little about it, other than one thing. It’s a huge industry. And if we’re not going to be the head of it, China, Japan, or someplace else is. So, I am behind it 100 percent.”
For months, Republicans have honed in on an investigation into the use of the autopen during former President Joe Biden’s presidency, claiming he was not aware of what his staff was using the autopen for in regards to executive orders and pardons. Last week, Johnson slammed the Biden administration following a report released by the House Oversight Committee calling on the Department of Justice to investigate every pardon and executive order signed by the autopen to see whether Biden had given direct confirmation on them.
“The actions of President Biden simply were not all his own actions, and there are major implications for that, including all the pardons that he signed,” Johnson said last week. “But don’t get me started.”
Trump called out Biden’s pardons in a TruthSocial post back in March, saying “he knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime.”
MIKE JOHNSON CALLS INTO QUESTION BIDEN EXECUTIVE ACTIONS SIGNED BY AUTOPEN IN WAKE OF REPORT
The crypto industry has found an ally in the Trump administration in recent months, as many people in the industry have also been on Capitol Hill in recent months. Zhao’s pardon was announced on Oct. 23.
“Well, here’s the thing, I know nothing about it because I’m too busy,” Trump said.
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