President Donald Trump has garnered scrutiny on social media after he said he did not know Changpeng Zhao, the cryptocurrency billionaire he pardoned last month.

When asked in an interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes why he had pardoned Zhao, who pleaded guilty to enabling money laundering in 2023, the president said, "I don't know who he is."

Newsweek contacted the White House for comment by email outside normal business hours.

Why It Matters

Trump's October pardon of Zhao , who founded the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, was the latest instance of the president using his constitutional powers to intervene in legal cases.

The president's supporters believe his pardons help people who they say have been treated unfairly by the legal system, while his critics accuse him of extend

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