Newsom’s ‘criminal’ website targets Trump’s crypto pardon
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Hassan Shitu
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom stepped up his criticism of President Donald Trump's use of presidential pardons, part of a broader political debate over crypto-related pardons in public safety, corruption and the expanding role of digital assets in American politics.
Newsom this week unveiled a new state-sponsored website that tracks what his office described as Trump's “major criminals,” alongside newly released crime data showing declines in major California cities.
Newsom highlighted Trump-Era pardons as violent crime declines across California
According to data from the Association of Chiefs of Major Cities, homicides are down 18% year over year, robberies are down 18%, aggravated assaults are down 9%, and violent crime is down in every major California city reporting data, with Oakland and San Francisco recording the largest declines.
Against that backdrop, Newsom framed the website as a contrast between federal crime reduction efforts and Trump's pardon record.
The site provides information on individuals who have received amnesty or protection from Trump, including from politics, organized crime and the cryptocurrency sector.
The governor said the goal is to put public information in one place so voters can assess who will be promoted or vetoed by the president's authority.
Crypto-related apologies are prominent. The site lists Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, who pleaded guilty in 2023 to violating the Bank Secrecy Act for failing to implement an adequate anti-money laundering program at the exchange.
Zhao was sentenced to four months in prison in April 2024 and was released later that year. In October, Trump signed a full pardon, a move later confirmed by Binance.
The White House said the decision followed a formal review by the Justice Department and the White House Counsel's Office, with Trump saying publicly that he did not know Zhao personally.
The pardon sparked a political backlash, with Democratic senators including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders accusing Trump of turning a blind eye to white-collar and crypto-related crimes.
Newsom's website also cited Silk Road Marketplace founder Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison on drug and money laundering conspiracy charges for more than $214 million in illegal drug sales through Bitcoin.
Trump in 2016 They pardoned Ulbricht in 2015. Additionally, the site highlights the March pardons of BitMEX co-founders Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Dello, Gregory Dwyer and Samuel Reed, who all pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act.
Trump says he will re-evaluate the Zamora wallet case by reopening the Crypto Pardon investigation.
The debate escalated this week after Trump said he was open to reviewing the case of Kewon Rodriguez, CEO of privacy-focused Bitcoin wallet Samurai.
Rodriguez was sentenced to federal prison last month after pleading guilty to money laundering charges related to a bitcoin mingling service that he says laundered $237 million.
Beyond Crypto, Newsom's website lists other high-profile figures including former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez and former Congressman Jorge Santos.
It also cites Trump's decision to grant clemency to nearly 1,500 individuals accused or convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
Citing $1.7 billion in crime prevention, law enforcement hiring and organized retail theft efforts starting in 2019, the governor's office tied the website's launch to curbing California's public safety spending.
Officials say the state's approach is at odds with federal cuts to public safety and anti-trafficking programs under the Trump administration.
Responding to Trump's pardon, Rep. Ro Cana of California has proposed legislation to ban elected officials from owning cryptocurrencies, arguing that the pardon raised a conflict of interest linked to digital assets.
The bill calls for divestment or blind faith in lawmakers holding crypto assets.
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