#Trump pardons Silk Road founder#

The pardon of Ross William Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, by President Donald Trump has drawn widespread attention. The news was initially reported by the New York Post and subsequently confirmed by multiple sources, including Trump himself who announced on social media that he had signed the pardon and had called Ulbricht's mother to inform her of the news. Ulbricht had been sentenced to life in prison without parole for operating the Silk Road darknet marketplace. The pardon granted him freedom. The pardon is part of Trump's fulfillment of a campaign promise, in which he vowed to "day one" reduce Ulbricht's sentence at the Libertarian National Convention. The event also triggered significant discussion about the justice system, cryptocurrency, and Ulbricht's legacy. Some argued that Ulbricht was merely operating a platform and was not directly involved in illicit activities, and therefore should not have been sentenced so severely. Others argued that Ulbricht's platform facilitated drug trafficking and thus his pardon was wrong. The pardon also sparked speculation on whether Trump would fulfill other campaign promises.