Former President Donald Trump reaffirmed his pledge to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the online illegal drug marketplace Silk Road.
What happened: In a Truth Social Post Wednesday, the Republican presidential hopeful wrote, I will save Ross Ulbricht,” in response to Ulbricht talking about the start of his 12th year in prison.
Screenshot From Donald Trump’s Account On Truth Social
Ulbricht has been serving a double life sentence since 2013 for his part in creating the infamous darknet website, which received roughly $1 billion in Bitcoin BTC/USD for the sale of heroin, cocaine, LSD, and other illegal drugs. The FBI shut down Silk Road shortly after Ross Ulbricht’s arrest.
See Also: Crypto Whale Dumped $46 Million BTC As Geopolitical Tensions Rise: What Is Going On?
The topic returned to the limelight earlier in March at the Libertarian National Convention when Trump vowed to commute Ulbricht’s sentence if voted back to power.
“And if you vote for me, on Day One, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht,” he said.
Why It Matters: Trump’s remarks were seen as a bid to court Libertarian voters, who have long lobbied for Ulbricht’s release.
It’s one of the things we wanted from his first term,” Katherine Yeniscavich, a national committee member of the party, said during the convention, as reported by Politico.
Meanwhile, in a bipartisan consensus, Trump, along with Democratic rival Kamala Harris, respective running mates Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio.) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), featured in an ad supporting marijuana legalization in Florida.
Image via Shutterstock
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