Changpeng Zhao claims that US cryptocurrency exchanges "spent millions" trying to prevent his pardon.

CoinFeed reported on April 10th that, according to The Block, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao stated in his memoir that US cryptocurrency exchanges "spent millions of dollars on lobbying" to try to prevent his pardon and funded "smear articles" against him, fearing that Binance might re-enter the US market after the pardon. Zhao also mentioned related reports from The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. President Trump pardoned Zhao last October. Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls and resigned as Binance CEO. He stated that his imprisonment was unexpected, as similar enforcement actions usually end with deferred prosecution agreements or house arrest.