In a post on Truth Social, Trump revealed that he had called Ulbricht’s mother and informed her “that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement,” he had just signed a pardon of her son.
In May 2024, while speaking at the Libertarian Party’s National Convention, Trump vowed to “commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht to a sentence of time served” on day one.
“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. “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. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!”
After being convicted in February 2015 on drug trafficking charges and “conspiracies to commit money laundering and computer hacking,” Ulbricht was sentenced in May of that year to “two life terms in prison, plus 40 years,” according to the New York Post.
During Ulbricht’s trial, prosecutors claimed that his Silk Road website, which was launched in 2011, had brought drug sellers and buyers together through anonymous transactions that were paid with Bitcoin. Ulbricht used the name Dread Pirate Roberts to run the website until it was shut down in 2013.
A press release from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in May 2015 revealed that drugs that had been reportedly “distributed” through the Silk Road website had been linked to the deaths of at least six people.
Libertarians have viewed Ulbricht’s case as being government overreach.
In response to Trump’s pardon of Ulbricht, Angela McArdle, the Libertarian National Committee Chair, issued a statement congratulating Ulbricht and his family on his pardon and thanking Trump “for following through” on his promise.
“Ross Ulbricht has been a libertarian political prisoner for more than a decade,” McArdle said. “I’m proud to say that saving his life has been one of our top priorities and that has finally paid off.”
“Ross, congratulations to you and your family,” McArdle added. “God bless you and keep you safe in your new found freedom. On behalf of the Libertarian Party, we are gifting you with an honorary lifetime membership. Thank you to Pres. Trump for following through on your promise. This is an incredible moment in Libertarian history.”
Breitbart News
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