President Trump on Tuesday pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the infamous dark web exchange Silk Road, best known as a once-thriving online marketplace for illegal drugs. Trump announced the news in a Truth Social post, saying the pardon was a tribute to Ulbricht’s mother and the Libertarian movement. Trump’s post on Truth Social Tuesday. Image Credit: Truth Social (screenshot) In 2015, a federal judge sentenced Ulbricht to life in prison for operating Silk Road under the pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts.” But last May, while on the 2024 campaign trail, Trump pledged to commute Ulbricht’s life sentence while speaking to the Libertarian National Convention. Ulbricht started Silk Road as a Libertarian experiment, and the party has lobbied to acquit Ulbricht of his crimes for years. In the Libertarian Party, many see Ulbricht’s life sentence as a symbol of government overreach.
