pardon

According to Politico, citing three informed sources, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is investigating former Illinois Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, related to his trading on the prediction market platform Kalshi. The relevant trades occurred between December 2024 and January 2025, completed through a Kalshi account associated with Kinzinger. He confirmed to the media that he had placed bets on contracts regarding whether he would receive a presidential pardon, while also betting on another contract about whether Biden would issue preemptive pardons before leaving office.In the final moments before Biden left office in January 2025, he issued preemptive pardons to Kinzinger and other members of the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot. Screenshots provided by Kinzinger show that he made a profit of $823 from approximately 25 trades, most of which were losses. He denied any wrongdoing, stating that he had been out of office for two years at the time of the bets, was neither a congressman nor a candidate, and had "no insider information." He also stated that he had read Kalshi's rules in advance and understood that they prohibit users from trading contracts directly related to their own interests. Kalshi prohibits users from betting on contracts in which they are direct participants, and the CFTC also prohibits the use of significant non-public information in its regulated markets.Kalshi had previously handled similar cases, suspending three congressional candidates in April for betting on their own campaigns, and freezing former Congressman George Santos's account, which was referred to the CFTC and the Department of Justice, leading to a lifetime ban at the end of August.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has previously secretly approved at least three insider trading investigations related to Polymarket trading, involving contracts related to Biden's pardons, the Iran war, and Google-related events. The relevant investigation documents were obtained by WIRED through the Freedom of Information Act.Among them, CFTC Chairman Michael Selig approved an investigation into contracts related to Biden's pardons in May, after a trader had profited over $300,000 in the relevant market; in the same month, the CFTC also approved an investigation into Iran war contracts, after a group of suspicious accounts was reported to have profited $2.4 million with a win rate of about 98%. In July, the CFTC further initiated an investigation into Google-related Polymarket contracts, focusing on individuals who may have traded using non-public information regarding Google's 2025 search rankings. The Southern District Attorney's Office in New York is also conducting a parallel investigation.It is currently unclear whether the aforementioned accounts are connected to previously investigated individuals. Polymarket stated that the company would refer the relevant matters to law enforcement and cooperate with the investigation. As the prediction market rapidly expands, U.S. regulators are clearly intensifying their scrutiny of insider trading and market manipulation.

Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett posted on the X platform that the U.S. Senate yesterday passed a resolution by unanimous consent, stating that FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried should not receive a presidential pardon.The resolution was introduced by Senators Ruben Gallego and Cynthia Lummis, formally recording the Senate's political statement opposing the pardon for SBF.However, the resolution is not legally binding, so it will not prevent the U.S. President from pardoning SBF in the future, nor does it have any direct impact on his current legal situation.

According to Bloomberg, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has officially submitted a presidential pardon application through the official process. SBF is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence, and his family has been lobbying the Trump administration for months.Trump clearly stated in January this year that he had no intention of pardoning SBF, and several pro-crypto Republican lawmakers have also actively opposed it, believing that this move is politically very sensitive.

The White House is considering issuing 250 presidential pardons on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the country, currently weighing the announcement of the plan on June 14 or July 4. Several defendants in the cryptocurrency field are seeking executive clemency, including Sam Bankman-Fried and Roger Ver. The U.S. president has issued over 1,600 pardons and commutations during his second term. Previously, Ross Ulbricht, the founder of BitMEX, and Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, have been pardoned. The White House has stated that there are currently no plans to pardon Sam Bankman-Fried.

FTX founder SBF posted on X platform and @Trump, stating that the "Cryptocurrency Market Structure Bill" (the CLARITY Act) will become an important milestone in the history of cryptocurrency development and a significant achievement for President Trump. "I once actively promoted a similar bill aimed at freeing cryptocurrency from the control of former SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, but Gensler helped Biden's Justice Department send me to prison."Imprisoned SBF is launching a futile campaign for a presidential pardon in the United States. Trump pardoned SBF's cellmate, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, on December 2 last year. Since then, SBF has frequently tweeted his support for Trump's policies, trying to curry favor with Trump in hopes of a pardon or sentence reduction. In fact, SBF's family has been publicly lobbying Trump since early 2025 and actively arranging meetings with his allies. However, earlier today, a White House spokesperson made it clear that Trump has no intention of pardoning SBF.Note: SBF is still in prison, and this message is being forwarded by a friend who has access to SBF's account.

According to Fortune, convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is launching a campaign on social media to seek a presidential pardon, but a White House spokesperson reiterated to Fortune that President Trump has no intention of granting him a pardon.Although Bankman-Fried was once a major donor to the Democratic Party, his recent comments on the social platform X have clearly shifted to support MAGA positions, criticizing the "deep state" and praising Trump. This strategy comes in the context of the Trump administration's lenient stance on cryptocurrency regulation and the backdrop of pardons being offered, including for Binance founder Changpeng Zhao.Bankman-Fried is currently serving a 25-year sentence in federal prison while challenging his conviction in federal appeals court. The White House spokesperson cited Trump's statement from January of this year, confirming that the president does not intend to pardon Bankman-Fried or several other high-profile inmates.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump made it clear in an interview with The New York Times that he would not consider pardoning FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF). SBF was convicted in 2023 for multiple charges including misappropriation of customer funds and financial fraud, becoming one of the most iconic criminal cases in the history of the cryptocurrency industry.In the interview, Trump mentioned that when asked by reporters whether several high-profile inmates might receive presidential pardons, SBF was among those listed but was explicitly excluded. Trump stated that he had no intention of exercising his pardon power for individuals including SBF.The report also revealed that musician Sean Combs (Diddy) had written to Trump requesting a pardon, but was similarly denied. In contrast, Trump has indeed exercised his pardon power in recent years for some political allies or individuals who support his narrative of "politicized justice," but SBF was not within his consideration.Analysis indicates that Trump's statement means: the likelihood of SBF being released early through a presidential pardon in the foreseeable future is extremely low, and his criminal liability and civil accountability processes will continue, which will also have a profound impact on discussions regarding compliance and regulation in the cryptocurrency industry.

The Wall Street Journal reported that "Zhao Changpeng has become one of the beneficiaries of a new, informal presidential pardon pathway that emerged during Trump's second term. According to people close to Trump, this new approach is partly driven by Trump's own experience as a criminal defendant, giving rise to a 'pardon-for-sale' industry, with lobbyists claiming their market price is $1 million.It is reported that those seeking pardons are offering success fees of up to $6 million to lobbyists closely connected to the president, on the condition that they can get the job done."

According to Bloomberg, Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), although holding no official position, has regained influence after receiving a pardon from Trump, supporting his stance on cryptocurrency and expressing a desire to "make the U.S. a crypto hub."Binance is considering restarting Binance.US, including reducing Zhao's stake to alleviate compliance hurdles; meanwhile, it is engaging with U.S. giants like BlackRock to deepen financial cooperation. Zhao previously pleaded guilty to anti-money laundering issues, but it remains unclear whether the pardon has lifted the restrictions on him.

According to Decrypt, U.S. President Trump stated that he is willing to consider pardoning convicted Samourai Wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez, noting that he has been made aware of the case.When discussing Rodriguez's case, Trump told the media, "I have heard about this case, and I will take a look." Trump then said to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was also present, "We will keep an eye on this, Pam." Rodriguez was sentenced to five years in federal prison last month for his involvement in creating the Samourai wallet. This tool allows Bitcoin users to ensure transaction privacy without transferring funds to a third party. He is scheduled to report to federal prison this Friday.

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) praised Trump's decision to pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández on social media on Tuesday, stating, "Few people deserve freedom more than he does." Hernández was previously sentenced to 45 years in prison for drug-related charges.SBF himself is serving a 25-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy, having misappropriated billions of dollars in customer funds, and is hoping for a pardon from Trump. However, analysts point out that SBF's chances of being pardoned are extremely low, as he donated $5.2 million to Biden's campaign team in 2020. SBF's appeal is still being heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, with a decision expected next year. (The Block)

According to Beincrypto, over 300 victims and family members of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel have filed a lawsuit against Binance and its founder Changpeng Zhao in the federal court of North Dakota under the Anti-Terrorism Act, accusing them of intentionally assisting terrorist organizations in cryptocurrency transactions.The 284-page complaint states that Binance processed over $1 billion in transactions for Hamas, Hezbollah, and other U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, continuing to provide services despite knowing the accounts were controlled by these organizations. The complaint details multiple terror-related digital wallets, including a case involving a Venezuelan gold smuggling network: a 26-year-old woman received $177 million in cryptocurrency and withdrew $43 million in cash to fund terrorist activities.This case comes less than two years after Binance pleaded guilty in 2023 and paid a $4.3 billion fine, and it is also the first month after Zhao received a pardon from Trump. Under the Anti-Terrorism Act, if found to have assisted international terrorism, Binance could face triple punitive damages.In February, a federal judge in New York ruled that the plaintiffs reasonably alleged that Binance intentionally and substantially assisted the attack. Binance is currently facing four related lawsuits in the U.S.

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao posted on X platform that he will be interviewed by Fox News later today. This is his first television interview since receiving the pardon.

According to CCN, former Justice Department pardon attorney Liz Oyer pointed out that the pardons issued during President Trump's term have waived over $1 billion in fines and restitution. By mid-2025, Trump has approved over 1,500 pardon cases, surpassing the majority of presidents' records during the same period.An analyst from the Council on Foreign Relations in New York released a report in June indicating that lobbying and consulting firms associated with Trump charge wealthy clients up to $5 million to assist in delivering pardon requests to the president. The report describes the growing economic system behind pardons, where political connections and financial resources determine the outcomes of pardons.Previously, Binance founder CZ was pardoned after serving 4 months for money laundering, and Trump claimed not to know him, prompting critics to question whether Trump's pardon system has devolved into a commodity of privilege, where wealth and connections dictate who can receive clemency. In response, the White House stated that before Trump signed the pardon for CZ, the matter underwent the most serious consideration and thorough review process.

According to Cointelegraph, the White House stated that this matter underwent the most serious consideration and thorough review process before Trump signed the pardon for CZ.

ChainCatcher news, recently former U.S. President Trump announced a pardon for Binance's former CEO Zhao Changpeng and proposed a vision to build a "global crypto capital." Coupled with Hong Kong's launch of the Solana spot ETF, the enhanced expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, and other factors, a resonance has formed at the policy, financial, and regulatory levels, sparking widespread attention and discussion in the global crypto market. On October 28th at 8 PM, SunPump will invite industry experts to conduct an in-depth analysis on hot topics such as the substance of Trump's crypto policy, the impact of Hong Kong's Solana spot ETF, and expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, exploring the opportunities and challenges in the digital asset market under the new circumstances.Users are encouraged to follow the official accounts @sunpumpmeme and @Agent_SunGenX, retweet the post, and @ three friends. The official account will randomly select 5 lucky users from the participants to receive a reward of 10 USDT each.

ChainCatcher news, according to The New York Times, Trump has granted a pardon to CZ, the founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, who was convicted. This pardon is likely to pave the way for Binance's return to the United States, as the company admitted in 2023 to violating U.S. anti-money laundering regulations and was banned from operating in the U.S. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice's three-year monitoring period for Binance may also come to an early end.It is reported that the monitoring was aimed at ensuring the company complies with U.S. financial crime laws; however, the pardon may not end the independent monitoring established by the Treasury Department without additional approval from Trump or the Secretary of the Treasury. Additionally, sources revealed that lobbyist Ches McDowell played a significant role in assisting the effort to secure CZ's pardon.

ChainCatcher news, according to Polymarket data, Hyperliquid whale Garrett Jin has been betting on "Trump will pardon CZ" since September 28, with a total investment of $28,677.33 and a profit of $56,824.32.Previously, it was reported that Garrett Jin had opened a massive short position on Hyperliquid three days before the "10.11" crash and ultimately made a profit of over $200 million, leading the community to speculate about insider trading.