WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the convicted founder of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, the White House said Thursday, in the latest move by Trump to boost the crypto industry and expunge its past misdeeds. Zhao, a billionaire known as “CZ” who is one of the most influential figures in crypto, quit in 2023 as Binance chief after the company pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program and paid a penalty of $4.3 billion. Zhao was prosecuted by the Biden administration “in their war on cryptocurrency,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Since he returned to office, Trump’s family has reaped millions of dollars from a variety of crypto ventures — moves criticized by political rivals and

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