Changpeng Zhao (CZ) stated that he applied for a presidential pardon only after Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal published articles about potential negotiations, attributing his decision to increased media speculation

Quotes that support claims

I got lawyers applying, and we only submitted after the Bloomberg article and the WSJ article came out. And then I was like, well, if they’re writing this article, I might as well just officially apply, right?”

We only submitted after the Bloomberg article and the Wall Street Journal article came out,” CZ said on the podcast

And I was like well if they are writing this article we might as well officially apply.”