Trump pardons Silk Road founder, defends Jan. 6 acts

Donald Trump speaks to Libertarian Party national convention — Trump promised to commute Ulbricht's sentence at the Libertarian Party national convention last May

(Image credit: Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

President Donald Trump Tuesday pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of dark-web drug marketplace Silk Road, 10 years into his life sentence for conspiracy to traffic narcotics, money laundering and other crimes. Trump also defended his decision to pardon or free more than 1,500 participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol assault, claiming they had been "treated unbelievably poorly" and "served years in jail" they "should not have served."

Who said what

Trump said on social media he had pardoned Ulbricht "in honor" of the Silk Road founder's mother and "the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly." He called the life sentence "ridiculous" and the New York federal prosecutors who secured a jury conviction "scum." Prosecutors said Silk Road facilitated more than 1.5 million sales of heroin, cocaine and other illicit substances, contributing to the deaths of at least six people. A federal judge in Manhattan called Ulbricht "the kingpin of a worldwide digital drug-trafficking enterprise" at his 2015 sentencing.

But Ulbricht is a "cult hero in the cryptocurrency and libertarian worlds," The New York Times said. "Crypto enthusiasts" appreciated that he created "one of the first venues where people used Bitcoin to buy and sell goods," and libertarians generally oppose drug laws. Trump had promised to commute Ulbricht's sentence at the Libertarian Party national convention last May.

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Congressional Republicans "struggled to defend" Trump's Jan. 6 pardons, especially for the rioters convicted of assaulting police officers, CNN said. Some said they disagreed with the pardons for violent rioters, but "most Republicans wouldn't weigh in on whether Trump had made the right decision."

What next?

Counterterrorism experts said Trump's clemency, especially for the Proud Boys and Oath Keeper leaders serving long sentences for seditious conspiracy, "could further embolden fringe groups" and boost political violence by far-right militias, The Washington Post said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.