Trump Yet to Free Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht, Pardon Expected Soon with Elon Musk's Confirmation

Jan 21, 2025, 02:20 AM

President Donald Trump has not yet fulfilled his campaign promise to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road, on his first day back in office. Despite Trump's pledge during the Libertarian National Convention to free Ulbricht, who has been imprisoned for over a decade on a life sentence for operating the Silk Road, a website used for illegal drug sales, no action was taken on the first day of his second term. However, reports indicate that a pardon for Ulbricht may be issued as early as late Monday night or Tuesday morning, according to Libertarian Party chair Angela McArdle. Elon Musk, part of the Trump administration, also confirmed that Ulbricht would be released soon. Ulbricht, who received loud cheers from Libertarian voters and at a bitcoin conference when Trump reiterated his promise, expressed hope following Trump's promise, stating he was preparing for freedom after serving time for his efforts to move toward a freer and more equitable world, despite the site's use in the War on Drugs.