- This is according to new documents from the exchange’s lawyers
- Gensler was involved in negotiations with the company’s top management
- He even obtained a meeting with Zhao and interviewed him
According to new documents in the case, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler could well be “on the other side of the barricades”. In 2019, he almost became the exchange’s legal advisor. At the time, he was still lecturing and calling cryptocurrency a commodity.
This follows information provided by lawyers from Gibson & Dunn and Latham & Watkins. They claim that Gary Gensler offered his services several times in conversations with both top management at the exchange and personally with Zhao.
Later that same month, March 2019, he secured a lunch meeting with CZ in Japan. Gensler and Zhao kept in touch for a while, and the future SEC chairman even interviewed him.
In a June 6 filing supplement, the regulator characterized Changpeng Zhao as a “foreigner” with a penchant for “geographic elusiveness.”. The SEC also continues to insist that CZ has enriched itself using customer funds.
Recall, earlier in March of this year, we covered the WSJ publication, which referred to Gensler’s close relationship with Binance. The company allegedly offered him the position twice between 2018 and 2019.
The article does not specify exactly when the talks took place.. It is possible that Gensler first turned down the position and then changed his mind. Or he initially applied for the job, was rejected, and then did not accept it, for example, because of a wounded pride.