Zhao Mulls Legal Action Over Warren’s Bribery Accusation

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Changpeng Zhao Mulls Legal Action Over Elizabeth Warren’s Bribery Claim

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: October 30, 2025

Key Takeaways

Changpeng Zhao may sue Senator Elizabeth Warren for defamation over her claim that he bribed Donald Trump for a presidential pardon;
Zhao’s lawyer said he will take legal action unless Warren retracts her October 23 post on X linking him to money laundering;
Official records show Zhao pleaded guilty to weak anti-money laundering controls, not direct laundering, as Warren had suggested.

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Changpeng Zhao Mulls Legal Action Over Elizabeth Warren’s Bribery Claim

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Changpeng Zhao is looking into filing a defamation lawsuit against US Senator Elizabeth Warren.

The possible lawsuit would be in response to her public claims that Zhao bribed President Donald Trump to receive a pardon.

As reported by the New York Post on October 28, Zhao’s attorney, Teresa Goody Guillén of Baker & Hostetler, stated that unless Senator Warren takes back her comments from an October 23 post on X, Zhao intends to proceed with a defamation case.

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The post in question was shared after Trump granted Zhao a presidential pardon.

Warren claimed Zhao had "pleaded guilty to a criminal money laundering charge" and received a four-month prison sentence in 2024.

However, official records show that in November 2023, Zhao admitted guilt to a different charge: failing to establish a proper Anti-Money Laundering system at Binance $5.91B . This was a violation of the Bank Secrecy Act, but it did not accuse him of directly laundering money.

Zhao’s lawyer argued that Warren's remarks damaged his reputation and misused her position. Guillén added that Zhao is keeping his legal options open to address what he considers false claims.

Senator Warren also alleged that Zhao provided funding for a stablecoin connected to Trump, which she described as "corruption". Zhao stated that "there were NO money laundering charges" and accused the senator of misrepresenting facts.

Recently, Zhao denied reports that YZi Labs was pursuing outside investment. What did he say? Read the full story.