CBS Evening News noticeably did not cover the presidential pardon of Changpeng Zhao on Thursday night, despite the fact rival networks like ABC, NBC and PBS all weighed in on the surprising update.
Additionally, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, CNN, The New York Times, AP, Reuters and Axios all provided coverage of Trump’s pardon for the former CEO of Binance.
So, it spoke volumes that the news program, now helmed by newly appointed editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, didn’t address a story as big as Zhao’s pardon. Zhao made headlines for pleading guilty to money laundering charges in November 2023. He served his four-month prison sentence back in 2024, but was pardoned on Thursday by Trump, whose family has business ties with Zhao. (Zhao’s company was notably barred from operating in the U.S. after his guilty plea.)
However, per the White House, Trump chose to exercise “his constitutional authority” on behalf of the businessman, as he felt Zhao “was prosecuted by the Biden administration in their war on cryptocurrency.”
“In their desire to punish the cryptocurrency industry, the Biden administration pursued Mr. Zhao despite no allegations of fraud or identifiable victims,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the time. “These actions by the Biden Administration severely damaged the United States’ reputation as a global leader in technology and innovation. The Biden administration’s war on crypto is over.”
This statement, nor other details of the case, were addressed during CBS Evening News’ broadcast. Rather, the news program ran with the NBA gambling arrests, interviews tied to ICE crackdowns in Chicago, the demolition of the White House’s East Wing for Trump’s ballroom, the ongoing effects of the government shutdown, etc.
An individual with knowledge told TheWrap CBS Evening News Plus did cover the pardon at the top of their broadcast. CBS Evening News Plus serves as an extension to CBS Evening News and is anchored by John Dickerson. The pardon was covered in-depth Thursday evening in a written piece, where they did mention Trump and his family’s connections to the cryptocurrency industry, including Zhao’s business.
Still, many are now turning a quizzical eye to Weiss, whose appointment by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, the son of Oracle co-founder/Trump supporter Larry Ellison, sparked controversy earlier this month.
