President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he had granted a full and unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, an underground website known for facilitating the sale of illegal drugs. Ulbricht had been serving a life sentence since 2015 for his involvement in operating the illicit online marketplace.
Trump revealed his decision to pardon Ulbricht via a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. In the post, Trump mentioned that he had spoken with Ulbricht's mother on his first full day in office and expressed his pleasure in signing the pardon for her son. He criticized those involved in Ulbricht's conviction, referring to them as 'scum' and linking their actions to what he perceived as a government conspiracy against him.
The President described Ulbricht's sentence as 'ridiculous' and had previously pledged to assist him during a speech at the Libertarian Party National Convention in May. Libertarian activists, who advocate for less stringent drug policies, have long contended that the prosecution's case against Silk Road and Ulbricht was overzealous and unjust. Many supporters of Ulbricht have campaigned for his release under the banner of 'Free Ross.'
