- Binance founder CZ has denied a WSJ report claiming he acted as a “fixer” for Trump-linked crypto venture World Liberty Financial.
- He called the article politically motivated and full of inaccuracies, rejecting all alleged connections.
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, widely known as CZ, is pushing back against a Wall Street Journal report that portrays him as a behind-the-scenes “fixer” for World Liberty Financial (WLF), a crypto initiative allegedly linked to the Trump family.
In a report published March 13, the WSJ alleged that Zhao facilitated international connections for WLF and introduced its representatives to officials in countries like Pakistan and Malaysia. It also claimed that Trump allies had explored acquiring a stake in Binance.US—potentially as part of a broader strategy to secure a presidential pardon for Zhao, who was convicted last year for violating U.S. anti-money-laundering laws.
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But CZ has categorically denied these claims. Posting on social media platform X, Zhao dismissed the article as a “hit piece,” accusing the WSJ of deliberately publishing inaccuracies despite Binance’s efforts to correct the record before publication. “This is NOT how journalism should work,” he wrote, invoking “Cunningham’s Law,” which suggests that false information is sometimes posted to provoke a correction—except, he implied, this wasn’t done in good faith.
Specifically, Zhao refuted the assertion that he played any role in connecting Pakistani official Mr. Saqib to WLF, stating, “They had known each other way back, whereas I only met Mr. Saqib for the first time in Pakistan.” He added that he was not involved in arranging WLF’s international meetings or political engagements.
The WSJ report further stirred controversy by suggesting financial and strategic links between the Trump family and Binance.US. It named Steve Witkoff—a known Trump associate—as a potential intermediary in negotiations, a claim later challenged by an administration official who said Witkoff was disengaging from his business interests.
“This isn’t about me or Binance,” CZ concluded, “It’s about targeting the broader crypto movement and those trying to shape the U.S. into a pro-crypto economy.”
As crypto becomes increasingly entangled with U.S. politics, Zhao’s rebuttal highlights the growing tension between the industry’s global leaders and American media narratives.