Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
President Donald Trump on Tuesday he signed a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the anonymous website Silk Road, something the president promised to do “on day one” while on the campaign trail.
“I just called Ross William Ulbri’s mother[c]I want to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which has so strongly supported me, it was my pleasure to just sign a full and unconditional pardon for her son, Ross,” Trump wrote in a social media post on Tuesday. “The scum that working to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern arming of the government against me. He received two life sentences, plus 40 years. Funny!”
Ulbricht was convicted because his website, which was founded in 2011 and used cryptocurrency for payments, was used to sell illegal drugs, even though he himself did not sell any of the illegal substances.
In May, Trump gave a speech at the Libertarian National Convention to a hostile crowd of whistle-blowers in an attempt to win over libertarian voters. Libertarians believe government investigators have gone too far in their case against Silk Road and generally oppose the war on drugs.
TRUMP FAILS TO DELIVER ‘DAY ONE’ PROMISE TO PARDON SILK ROAD FOUNDER ROSS ULBRICHT
People hold signs in support of jailed Darknet marketplace Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht as former President Trump attends the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, DC on May 25, 2024. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
While attendees were anti-Trump for most of the event, they cheered when he said he would commute Ulbricht’s sentence to time served, as the crowd chanted “Free Ross” in hopes the presidential candidate would take action if elected to allow the Silk Road founder to return home to his family after more than a decade behind bars.
“If you vote for me, on day one, I’m going to commute Ross Ulbricht’s sentence to time served. He’s already served 11 years. We’re going to bring him home,” Trump told the libertarian crowd, many holding signs reading “Free Ross.”
Ulbricht reacted to Trump’s comments on the X social media platform the next day.
TRUMP PARDONED ALMOST 1/6 OF THE ACCUSED
Members of the Libertarian Party stand in chairs as they chant and demand the release of Ross Ulbricht during the party’s national convention at the Washington Hilton on May 25, 2024 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
“Last night Donald Trump promised to commute my sentence on day one, if re-elected,” he wrote. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. After 11 years in prison, it’s hard to express how I feel at this moment. Thanks to your endless support, I may get a second chance.”
Last month, Ulbricht wrote: “For my last monthly resolution for 2024, I intend to learn every day and accelerate as much as I can as I prepare for freedom.”
Trump later reiterated his promise to commute Ulbricht’s life sentence at a bitcoin conference, to loud applause.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
While Trump did not follow through on his promise to exonerate Ulbricht on his first day back in office, he followed through on his promise on the second day.
Ulbricht, now 40, ran the website from 2011 until his arrest in 2013. He was convicted two years later to life imprisonment.
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
