Teresa Goody Guillén, the personal lawyer of Binance co-founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, has denied accusations that CZ paid for a pardon from former US President Donald Trump.
Guillén called the claims a “pile up of false statements” and challenged critics, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, on their understanding of blockchain and business practices.
CZ was pardoned in October 2025 after serving four months in prison related to failures in Binance’s Anti-Money Laundering protocols. Guillén framed the pardon as a matter of justice, suggesting CZ was unfairly targeted during a broader crackdown on the crypto industry following the FTX collapse.