Trump promises to pardon Silk Road founder, Ross Ulbricht if re-elected, announced at the Libertarian Party Convention.
In case he wins reelection in November, former President Donald Trump has promised to pardon Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht.
This statement was made by Trump on May 25 at the National Convention of the Libertarian Party in Washington.
“If you vote for me, on day one I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht,” Trump said during his speech.
He declared his plan to return Ulbricht—who has already served 11 years—home.
Operating under the alias “Dread Pirate Roberts,” Ulbricht founded Silk Road in 2011 and it is regarded as the first contemporary darknet market with a Bitcoin-based payment system.
Ulbricht was arrested, nevertheless, after the FBI took possession of his laptop on October 1, 2013. A U.S. federal court found Ulbricht guilty in 2015 of a number of Silk Road-related offenses. He got two life sentences plus forty years without the chance of release.
Apart from promising Ulbricht a pardon, Trump also talked about his pro-crypto position, which is a change from his earlier misgivings about digital assets.
He underlined his resolve to see that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies be developed domestically rather than being pushed outside.
Moreover, Trump vowed to defend those who decide to keep their cryptocurrency outside of centralized exchanges and promoted the right to self-custody.
Senator Elizabeth Warren was also specifically mentioned by him, who promised to keep her and her cronies away from their Bitcoin.
Talks in the legal and cryptocurrency worlds have been triggered by Trump’s statement about Ulbricht possibly receiving a pardon.
Though some contend that Ulbricht, who has already served a significant jail time, would have a second shot at redemption, others voice worries about the ramifications of pardoning someone who was found guilty of operating an illicit marketplace.
Bitcoins are utilized to impact politics in addition to their increasing popularity among ordinary users.
To maybe change the balance of power in Congress, a well-funded political action committee (PAC) supported by well-known personalities in the bitcoin sector has focused on important Senate contests.
Recently, the PAC known as Fairshake effectively spent over $10 million to challenge a Democratic California U.S. Senate candidate.
As to reports, almost 73% of US voters think that the presidential contenders should be knowledgeable about cutting-edge technology like Bitcoin and artificial intelligence (AI).
Similarly, Coinbase research recently stated that California voters who possess cryptocurrencies are predicted to have a big influence on the 2024 elections.