Binance hired a close friend of Trump's eldest son to lobby the White House, paying him $450,000 in the past month

Ches McDowell, a North Carolina lobbyist and close friend of Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Trump, has recently become one of the most active lobbyists in Washington. His firm, Checkmate Government Relations, generated $7.1 million in revenue in the past three months alone. Disclosure documents show that Binance hired McDowell in late September to lobby the White House and Treasury Department on financial policy and "administrative relief" issues, and paid his firm $450,000 in the past month. It has also been reported that CZ had been seeking a pardon even earlier. In February of this year, Binance and CZ each hired cryptocurrency lawyer Teresa Goody Guillén, who was once considered by Trump for appointment as SEC Chair. Her law firm has received a combined $290,000 in fees from Binance and CZ to date. Neither McDowell nor Guillén responded to requests for comment.