Former President Donald Trump has issued a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the dark web marketplace Silk Road. The pardon, a move widely seen as appealing to Libertarian voters, has been met with mixed reactions.
Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the anonymous online marketplace Silk Road, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to President Donald Trump for granting him a full and unconditional pardon. In an emotional video shared online, Ulbricht lauded Trump as a 'man of his word,' thanking the president for bestowing upon him the 'amazing blessing' of freedom. 'I am so, so grateful to have my life back, to have my future back, to have this second chance,' Ulbricht stated in the video.
He further emphasized that the pardon signified an 'important moment for everybody, everywhere, who loves freedom and who cares about second chances.' Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to announce the pardon, revealing that he had personally contacted Ulbricht’s mother to inform her. The president underscored that the pardon was a gesture of respect for both Ulbricht’s mother and the Libertarian Movement, which had staunchly supported his presidential candidacy. 'The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me,' Trump asserted.Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky who had been advocating for Ulbricht’s release, commended Trump for granting the pardon. Paul highlighted the disparity in sentencing, noting that individuals who utilized Silk Road for illicit drug transactions received 'minor sentences,' while Ulbricht was handed two life sentences without the possibility of parole. Ulbricht’s conviction stemmed from his operation of Silk Road, a website established in 2011 that facilitated illegal drug transactions using cryptocurrency. He managed the platform from 2011 until his arrest in 2013. In 2015, Ulbricht was sentenced. At the time, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) characterized Silk Road as 'the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the internet.' Last month, Ulbricht indicated his intention to diligently study and prepare for his impending freedom, stating, 'For my last monthly resolution of 2024, I intend to study every day and to get up to speed as much as I can as I prepare for freedom.'Trump had pledged to pardon Ulbricht during his 2024 campaign, vowing to do so on 'Day 1.' This move was widely perceived as a strategic maneuver to garner support from Libertarian voters. Trump addressed the prospect of commuting Ulbricht’s sentence at both the Libertarian National Convention and the Bitcoin 2024 conference. In addition to Ulbricht, Trump issued pardons for pro-life activists convicted under the FACE Act and numerous individuals involved in the January 6th Capitol insurrection. The pardons for pro-life protesters were granted the day preceding the March for Life in Washington, D.C., where Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to deliver a speech.
DONALD TRUMP ROSS ULBRICHT SILK ROAD PARDON LIBERTARIAN MOVEMENT FREEDOM OF SPEECH
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