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Ulbricht had been sentenced to life in prison in 2015 after a
high-profile prosecution that highlighted the role of the
internet in illegal markets.
Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media website, that he
had spoken to Ulbricht's mother on his first full day in office.
“It was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional
pardon of her son, Ross,” he 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.”
Trump called Ulbricht's prison sentence “ridiculous.”
He had promised to help Ulbricht during a speech at the
Libertarian Party National Convention last May.
Libertarian activists, who generally oppose criminal drug
policies, have long believed that government investigators
overreached in building their case against Silk Road. Many held
“Free Ross” signs.
“Ross Ulbricht has been a libertarian political prisoner for
more than a decade," said a statement from Libertarian National
Committee Chair Angela McArdle. “I’m proud to say that saving
his life has been one of our top priorities and that has finally
paid off.”
Trump has been eagerly using his pardon power since beginning
his second term. On Monday, hours after taking office, he wiped
clean the records of roughly 1,500 people who participated in
the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The decision, which
applied to some people who were convicted of attacking police,
upended the Justice Department's sweeping investigation into the
attack.
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