In recent days, the White House held a press conference specifically addressing the decision to pardon the Binance founder. To be honest, there has been quite a bit of skepticism from the public.

On November 4th, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded. Her main point was one sentence: this process followed standard procedures, and the attitude was "extremely serious." Both the Department of Justice and the White House Office of Legal Counsel thoroughly reviewed it.

Why emphasize this point? Because not long ago, someone on CBS's "60 Minutes" claimed, "I don't know Changpeng Zhao at all," and characterized the previous indictment as "political persecution by the previous administration." Once that statement came out, speculation immediately arose—what is the relationship between these two individuals?

This time, Jean-Pierre directly addressed the issue: the president's words meant "no personal relationship," aiming to clarify that the decision was objective and procedural. It sounds like a clarification, but consider—does this explanation really hold enough weight?

Let's review the case itself. Zhao Changpeng was initially accused of violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws because Binance's AML system was inadequate, which he admitted. Prosecutors initially sought a three-year sentence, but the judge thought that was "too harsh," and ultimately sentenced him to just four months, with his imprisonment beginning last April. The sentence isn't heavy, but the symbolic significance of this case is quite substantial.

Interestingly, the White House directly linked this pardon to the government's cryptocurrency policy. Jean-Pierre's statement was even more provocative: "The Department of Justice has been weaponized, and he has been over-prosecuted. The president is now correcting this mistake and officially ending the previous administration's war on the crypto industry."

This stance indicates that the message is no longer just about a single case but is signaling a potential shift in the U.S. approach to crypto regulation.

While there is controversy surrounding this, it could very well mark a critical turning point for the industry. The White House's current strategy is clear: emphasize "procedural compliance" to quell doubts while leveraging "policy correction" to claim moral high ground—trying to shift public focus from "personal relationships" to "public policy."

Regardless, this move will likely continue to stir the industry in the short term.