President Donald Trump granted a full pardon on Tuesday to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road.The infamous dark web marketplace served as a global hub for illicit drug sales that prosecutors said had contributed to the death of at least six people.
Ulbricht, 40, had been serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole since 2015, after he was convicted in federal court on seven charges that included distributing narcotics and conspiring to commit computer hacking.
"I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross," Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social.
In his pardon announcement Tuesday, Trump referred to the federal prosecutors involved in Ulbricht's case as "scum," linking them to his recent federal and state prosecutions. "He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!" Trump added.
President Trump has been amenable to Libertarian concerns. He promised to commute Ulbricht's sentence during the Libertarian National Convention in Washington in May of 2024, and has gotten close to so-called "techno libertarians," like Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Trump has also publicly promised to make the United States the "crypto capital of the planet," propping up prominent Bitcoin users and supporters.
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Trump pardoned the silk road guy cause he likes libertarians
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