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In brief California Governor Gavin Newsom has launched a new website calling attention to Donald Trump’s presidential pardons, including those of crypto figures Changpeng Zhao, Ross Ulbricht, and the “BitMEX Bros.” Newsom's move comes as Democrats raise concerns about Trump’s links to the crypto industry. Trump told Decrypt this week that he'll "look at" pardoning Keonne Rodriguez, developer of Bitcoin privacy project Samourai Wallet. Decrypt’s Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub. Discover SCENE California Governor Gavin Newsom has launched a website tracking what he calls President Donald Trump's "criminal cronies,” a list that includes Trump himself alongside convicted drug lords, January 6 insurrectionists, and several prominent crypto figures who have received presidential pardons. The tracker, unveiled Tuesday, spotlights Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht, and BitMEX co-founders Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, Gregory Dwyer, and Samuel Reed, among the recipients of Trump's pardons. CRIMINAL IN CHIEF: DONALD TRUMP 34 felony convictions. Cozying up to convicted sex traffickers. Cashing in on crypto grifts. Inviting foreign influence into American politics.This is the standard Trump sets. See more at: https://t.co/B05K1ZIqBW pic.twitter.com/cfDAEacmib — Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) December 16, 2025 "Governor Newsom is driving crime down—and Donald Trump is pardoning drug lords and driving criminals into government," Newsom's office said in a statement announcing the website, alongside new data showing violent crime declining across California's major cities. The crypto-heavy pardon list comes amid mounting Democratic concerns about Trump's crypto dealings and potential conflicts of interest, entangling U.S. governance with private crypto interests. Newsom supports "responsible crypto and blockchain innovation while prioritizing consumer protection, not fraud," according to his office, positioning California as a counterweight to what Democrats characterize as Trump's alleged corruption. The launch came the same week that Decrypt asked President Trump whether he would consider pardoning Samourai Wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez. “I’ll look at it,” the president said, leaving open the possibility of further crypto-related pardons. CZ's "full and unconditional" pardon Changpeng Zhao’s "full and unconditional pardon” came after pleading guilty to money laundering charges for allowing illicit funds, including money flowing to “terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers,” through Binance's platform, said Newsom. Newsom’s site notes that Binance “was an important supporter of the Trump family’s own business,” World Liberty Financial, and mocks Trump’s claim that he doesn’t know Zhao, joking, “Maybe Sneaky Pete used the autopen while Trump slept?” Last week, World Liberty Financial's USD1 stablecoin became part of Binance's core infrastructure, with Binance denying any connection between Zhao's pardon and the expanded integration of USD1, calling such suggestions "false and defamatory." Silk Road and BitMEX amp;amp;lt;span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display:inline-block;width:0px;overflow:hidden;line-height:0" class="mce_SELRES_start"amp;amp;gt;amp;amp;lt;/spanamp;amp;gt; Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, the now-shuttered dark web marketplace that facilitated over $214 million in illegal drug sales (often via Bitcoin), received a pardon for his 2015 conviction on narcotics and money-laundering conspiracy charges. The BitMEX co-founders all received pardons in March after pleading guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act. Trump also pardoned HDR Global Trading Limited, the corporation that owns the cryptocurrency exchange. Decrypt has contacted the White House, CZ and Arthur Hayes for additional comment. Democrats vs. Trump Newsom’s site highlights what it calls Trump’s “crypto corruption,” claiming that the president’s family has “raked in at least $800 million dollars in crypto” since the start of 2025. The site also alleges that Trump’s SEC suspended an investigation into Tron founder Justin Sun “just weeks after Sun invested $75 million into Trump’s crypto company World Liberty Financial,” as well as accusing the president of “cashing in” on his TRUMP meme coin by offering tours of the White House to investors. This isn’t the first time that Newsom has shone a spotlight on Trump’s crypto activities; in September, the California Governor said on the "Pivot" podcast he would release his own meme coin called "Trump Corruption Coin,” mocking the president's TRUMP meme coin. His website joins a widening chorus of Democratic criticism aimed at Trump’s connections with crypto projects. Senator Elizabeth Warren's letter this week to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Attorney General Pam Bondi highlighted decentralized exchange PancakeSwap's role in facilitating trading of USD1, and its reported use by North Korean backers to launder stolen crypto funds. Meanwhile, House Democrats recently labeled the Trump White House “the world’s most corrupt crypto startup operation,” citing reports that the family earned more than $800 million in crypto ventures this year.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren warned of national security risks tied to decentralized exchanges (DEXes), pointing to PancakeSwap and the USD1 stablecoin. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Attorney General Merrick Garland, she urged a January 12 response on regulatory gaps and oversight of DEX platforms, and potential conflicts of interest related to the Trump family. Warren framed the issue as a duty to protect the American people and the U.S. financial system, citing expert analyses from security researchers and the crypto industry. She cited findings from Allium and TRM Labs about DEX activity in notable crypto incidents, including the February Bybit hack and the role of DEX tooling in fund flows. She highlighted a June USD1 marketing push by WLFI and Binance’s integration of USD1, stressing the need for transparent enforcement and scrutiny of potential political influence on law-enforcement decisions. Regulators are urged to outline concrete steps to mitigate these risks. Share News:

In brief Senator Elizabeth Warren is speaking out about the potential security risks associated with decentralized exchanges, naming PancakeSwap in a letter this week. The Massachusetts senator wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Attorney General Pamela Bondi, expressing concerns. Warren demanded answers by January 12 about the potential risks and any ongoing actions from the agency. Decrypt’s Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub. Discover SCENE Senator Elizabeth Warren is raising an alarm on the potential national security risks of decentralized exchanges (DEXs), singling out PancakeSwap given its reported connection to the trading of Trump-linked stablecoin USD1 and funds stolen by North Korean hackers. In a letter this week addressed to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Attorney General Pam Bondi, Warren asked for answers by January 12 regarding gaps left by statutory and regulatory authorities that leave the U.S. vulnerable to national security risk as it pertains to DEXs and any actions the agency is taking to prevent crypto-related conflict of interests—including within the Trump family. “You and your departments have significant responsibilities for safeguarding the American people and the U.S. financial system,” Warren wrote. “The public deserves to know whether you are investigating the serious risks identified by national security experts and the crypto industry itself.” amp;lt;span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display:inline-block;width:0px;overflow:hidden;line-height:0" class="mce_SELRES_start"amp;gt;amp;lt;/spanamp;gt; Warren supported her inquiry with blockchain reports from analytics firm Allium and investigations firm TRM Labs, which point to the role PancakeSwap and DeFi tools like decentralized exchanges played in crypto’s largest-ever heist, a $1.4 billion theft from crypto exchange Bybit back in February. According to Allium’s research, around 20% of the stolen funds or $263 million, were laundered through PancakeSwap alone. Warren points to the fact that on-chain crypto users can make use of DEXs without strict anti-money laundering program controls, like know your customer (KYC) disclosures, enabling them to “exploit decentralized platforms to move, mix, and cash out illicit funds.” “Without regulatory monitoring, illicit actors will increasingly be able to acquire crypto assets on decentralized exchanges, and then facilitate financial transactions without having to cash out through institutions that could otherwise have monitored and reported suspicious activity to law enforcement,” she wrote. Beyond North Korea’s attacks, Warren also highlighted PancakeSwap’s role in the trading of USD1—the dollar-backed stablecoin from Trump-backed DeFi project World Liberty Financial. In June, the DEX partnered with World Liberty Financial on a liquidity drive promotion that encouraged trading in USD1 pairs, offering more than $1 million in prizes over a four-week period. Last week, the Trump-connected stablecoin became a “core part” of Binance infrastructure, just months after co-founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao’s pardon. Binance denied that there’s any link between the pardon of its former CEO and the expanded integration of USD1. The Massachusetts senator previously denounced the President’s pardon of the Binance co-founder, and sought answers from the DOJ about the company’s ties to the president. “I am especially concerned about any improper political influence by the Trump administration on enforcement decisions,” wrote Warren in this week’s letter, “because PancakeSwap has reportedly been ‘drumming up interest among traders to use coins issued by the Trump family’s main crypto company, World Liberty Financial.’” Decrypt reached out to PancakeSwap for comment on the Warren letter and allegations, but did not immediately receive a response. Warren has long been skeptical of crypto and its potential harm to everyday people, and has been critical of the sitting president’s connection to the industry. In October, she and fellow Senator Bernie Sanders sounded off on a Trump executive order that would allow investors to gain exposure to crypto in their 401(k) plans. Prior to that, Warren criticized the crypto lobbying industry while sounding alarms about the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act—warning that the then-pending crypto regulation "supercharges President Trump's corruption”—and asked for probes into the TRUMP meme coin launched in January. Her criticisms are not isolated. Last month, House Democrats summarized that the Trump White House is the “the world’s most corrupt crypto startup operation,” after building a partisan report on the family’s crypto connections. The report cited a Reuters investigation that alleged that the Trump family had made more than $800 million on crypto ventures in 2025. Disclosure forms from earlier this year indicate the President made more than $58 million from crypto ventures during 2024.

BlockBeats News, December 16th, according to the Associated Press, the Trump family's crypto project World Liberty Financial (WLFI) will deploy a USD1 stablecoin on the privacy-focused blockchain network Canton Network, used for derivatives and institutional loan collateral, real-time cross-border payments and 24/7 settlement, on-chain asset issuance, financing, and redemption, etc.

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