Tron’s Justin Sun and former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao have fired back at Wall Street Journal after they were accused of making secret political deals, criminal investigations, snitching, and a shady crypto token tied to President Donald Trump’s family.
According to the article, both men were accused of working behind the scenes with Trump allies and U.S. officials to reduce government pressure and boost their crypto businesses. But both men went public, calling the story complete BS.
“WSJ is really TRYING here. They seem to have forgotten who went to prison and who didn’t. People who become government witnesses don’t go to prison. They are protected. I heard someone paid WSJ employees to smear me,” CZ said on X.
Justin Sun and CZ team up to debunk rumors
Last year, CZ served four months in jail after pleading guilty in a major U.S. case, but he’s still running Binance’s empire from the shadows. Now CZ is accusing someone of paying journalists to go after him, though without naming anyone in particular. He is a pretty classy guy after all.
It was Justin Sun who posted first, calling CZ his mentor, friend, and benefactor. He also denied knowing anything about the allegations. “He has given me attention, guidance, and direction during my entrepreneurial process,” Justin Sun said.
He added that he fully trusts CZ and claimed his company, T3FCU, has always worked closely with the U.S. Department of Justice. “Together, we have handled a large number of important cases aimed at protecting global users and punishing illegal criminal groups around the world,” Justin Sun added.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Binance executives met with officials from the U.S. Treasury Department. During the meeting, they asked for the removal of a government-appointed monitor who currently oversees the exchange’s compliance with anti-money-laundering laws. The monitor was put in place after Binance pleaded guilty in 2023 and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in penalties.
People quoted in the Journal allegedly said the Justice Department had been investigating Justin for months. That was when the paper also claimed that CZ agreed to give evidence against Justin as part of his own plea deal with the government. Justin Sun’s camp debunked it saying, “It is false to suggest that Tron enables criminal activity.” They also rejected all the claims in the Journal article. A spokesperson said, “We decline to comment on baseless allegations about legal matters.”