The White House Is Weighing 250 Pardons for July 4th. Crypto's Biggest Names Are Already Lobbying

[nihalsari]

The White House is reportedly exploring a symbolic batch of roughly 250 presidential pardons to mark America's 250th birthday, according to the Wall Street Journal, and crypto's most prominent convicted figures are already positioning for inclusion. Trump has issued more than 1,600 acts of clemency in his second term — several times his first-term total — with a meaningful share flowing directly into the crypto industry. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao received a pardon in October 2025 following his guilty plea on anti-money laundering charges. BitMEX co-founders and Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht received clemency earlier the same year. A July 4th batch packaged around national symbolism would extend that pattern while giving the administration political cover to bundle controversial individual decisions inside a celebratory moment that is harder to isolate and criticize than a standalone announcement.

The three names dominating speculation are Sam Bankman-Fried, Roger Ver, and Samourai Wallet CEO Keonne Rodriguez. Trump explicitly denied SBF's pardon request in January, but allies have continued lobbying and Polymarket currently prices his odds at 11% before 2027. Roger Ver has mounted the most aggressive campaign, hiring political operative Roger Stone, recording a direct video plea to Trump, and attracting public support from Elon Musk, Vitalik Buterin, and other crypto leaders. Buterin argued that "genuine good faith mistakes should be treated by giving the actor the opportunity to pay back taxes with interest and penalties, not with prosecution." Former FTX executive Ryan Salame leads Polymarket's pardon odds at 13%, having aligned himself visibly with MAGA messaging. Do Kwon sits at 9% despite the Terra/Luna collapse's scale. Trump has signaled openness to looking at Rodriguez's case specifically, making the Samourai Wallet co-founder one of the more plausible near-term candidates.

[lingriiddd]

SBF odds at 11% after explicit denial, allies still lobbying anyway

[lingriiddd]

Do Kwon at 9% despite Terra collapse scale, optimistic given the circumstances