CZ on Trump Pardon: I Am Now a Truly Free Man

BlockBeats News, January 24th, Binance founder CZ said in a CNBC interview in Davos, "Three months after being pardoned by Trump, I felt freer in the past three months, more like a psychological change. It's like a heavy burden has finally been lifted. I was actually free before, but I carried the identity of a heavy criminal. But now I am a truly free man."

CZ openly stated that his prison experience was very bad, highly consistent with movie portrayals, including a rigorous physical examination on the day of incarceration. His first cellmate was a double murderer who had served about 12 years and had another 18 years to go. He said he never expected to go to prison because in the history of the United States, no one had ever been imprisoned for a single violation of the Bank Secrecy Act; previous similar cases were mostly deferred prosecution agreements (DPA) or home confinement. He originally expected at most 6–12 months of home confinement and was surprised to actually go to prison.

CZ said the pardon application was submitted through a lawyer, and the whole process was a "black box" to him, and he is still unclear about the specific decision-making process. He never met Trump in private, only "met at a distance" at the Davos forum. Regarding the pardon outcome, CZ expressed his gratitude. At the same time, CZ said there was no connection between Binance and the Trump family.