Changpeng Zhao said, “I am not a fixer,” in an X post, denying a WSJ report that he linked Bilal bin Saqib to World Liberty Financial.
Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the former CEO and co-founder of Binance, has reacted negatively to a Wall Street Journal investigation, describing it as a “hit piece” full of false information and unfavorable presumptions.
In an X post, Zhao attacked the publication’s depiction of his purported participation with World Liberty Financial, the decentralized finance initiative supported by a company connected to US President Donald Trump.
Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, Trump’s sons, are active in the company’s management.
Zhao said that during his international travels, the WSJ story depicted him as a “fixer” for the WLF team and its co-founder, Zach Witkoff.
According to the paper, Zhao arranged meetings and introductions for WLF leaders while traveling abroad, including one trip to Pakistan that led to a memorandum of understanding with a local official.
Zhao adamantly denied that he arranged any meetings overseas or linked Pakistani official “Mr. Saqib” with WLF, saying, “I am not a fixer for anybody.”
“While I only met Mr. Saqib for the first time in Pakistan, they had known each other for a long time.”
Wall Street Journal Is Reporting On Steve, Zach Witkoff
Zhao’s reaction comes after a WSJ investigation that revealed a convoluted web of commercial and diplomatic ties involving WLF.
The research concentrated on the business and diplomatic interactions between WLF co-founders Steve Witkoff and his son Zach Witkoff, and it expressed worries about the hazy boundaries between public obligations and private interests.
Zach Witkoff has been involved in securing a purported $2 billion cryptocurrency deal, and Steve Witkoff is the US Special Envoy to the Middle East under the Trump administration.
The report said Zhao might have been trying to gain favor with the Trump administration and questioned whether diplomatic efforts and private cryptocurrency endeavors coincided.
Changpeng Zhao announced on May 6 that he is asking the Trump administration to pardon him for his prior money laundering conviction.
The report also pointed out that, except for a few well-known investors, such as Justin Sun, the inventor of Tron, who was present at Trump’s memecoin dinner on May 22, WLFI, which raised over $600 million in token sales, does not reveal the identities of all of its investors.
Trump hosted a meal for his Official Trump (TRUMP) meme coin’s most prominent investors. Attendees included Sun, Jack Lu, CEO of Magic Eden, and Sheldon Xia, CEO of BitMart, who posted pictures of the occasion.
According To Changpeng Zhao, WSJ Piece Is “Attack” Against Cryptocurrency
According to Zhao, the WSJ sent inquiries that included “wrong and negative assumptions.”
He added that after pointing out several factual errors, he and his public relations staff concluded that the story was “built on a flawed narrative.”
Zhao attacked the WSJ, accusing it of being a “mouthpiece” for American anti-crypto forces.
According to him, the publication’s forces aim to thwart initiatives to establish the US as a crypto capital.
Changpeng Zhao asserted that the piece is part of a larger attempt to impede the expansion of the cryptocurrency business in the United States, saying, “They want to attack crypto, global crypto leaders, and the pro-crypto administration.”
Zhao has recently retaliated against the WSJ on multiple occasions.
The journal cited unnamed sources in an April 11 story that Zhao consented to testify against Tron founder Justin Sun as part of a settlement with US prosecutors.
Changpeng Zhao rejected the report, claiming that government witnesses are protected and do not face jail time. Additionally, Changpeng Zhao asserted that someone paid WSJ staff members to disparage him.
