Binance.US has denied claims that its USD1 listing was a form of payback for President Trump’s pardon of Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao. The platform stated that the stablecoin, issued by the Trump family-linked World Liberty Financial, was approved through its ordinary course of business. Binance.US Denies US Senator’s Claims Binance.US has pushed back against a US Senator’s claims, defending its decision to list the Trump family-linked USD1 stablecoin. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy alleged in a social media post that the USD1 listing was a form of payback following President Trump’s pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao. Senator Murphy stated in a post on X, “One week after Trump pardoned Binance’s owner (for a stunning array of crimes related to terrorist and sex predator financing), Binance starts promoting Trump crypto. The White House is a full-time, 24/7 corruption machine.” Binance Issues Denial Binance.US vehemently denied the allegations, stating that the USD1 stablecoin and WLFI token are listed on over 20 cryptocurrency exchanges in the US, including Kraken, Coinbase, and Robinhood. The exchange added that USD1 and WLFI had been approved by the platform’s listing committee through regular listing procedures. The exchange stated in its denial, “We conduct comprehensive due diligence and legal review before listing any asset on Binance.US, whether it’s a stablecoin, a new ecosystem project, or a meme token. Not only are USD1 and WLFI already listed on 20+ major exchanges, but these assets have both been approved for some time by our listing committee in its ordinary course of business. To be clear, this was a business decision and nothing more. It’s unfortunate that even routine business decisions are now unfairly politicized by our elected officials.” President Trump’s Crypto Connections Under Scrutiny Political opponents and critics have condemned US President Donald Trump and his family’s connections with cryptocurrency through World Liberty Financial, citing ethical and financial conflicts of interest as Trump actively promoted crypto projects linked to him and the company. Zhao’s pardon was also heavily criticized, with Representative Maxine Waters calling it a result of months of lobbying and funneling billions into World Liberty Financial. “Trump is doing massive favors for crypto criminals who have helped line his pockets.” Zhao was found guilty of failing to implement an effective anti-money laundering program and reaching a settlement with the US government. Binance itself pleaded guilty to criminal charges and paid $4.3 billion in fines. Meanwhile, Zhao personally paid $50 million in fines and was sentenced to four months in prison. Zhao thanked President Trump following his pardon, stating, “Deeply grateful for today’s pardon and to President Trump for upholding America’s commitment to fairness, innovation, and justice. Will do everything we can to help make America the Capital of Crypto and advance web3 worldwide.” Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice
