Donald Trump vows to ‘save’ Ross Ulbricht as Silk Road website creator shares post about life in prison

Donald Trump took to Truth Social to vow he would “save” Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the online illegal drug marketplace Silk Road.

Published on: Oct 3, 2024, 09:22:11 IST

By Sumanti Sen

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Donald Trump took to Truth Social to vow he would “save” Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the online illegal drug marketplace Silk Road. In an X post, Ulbricht wrote, “Here it is. The start of my 12th year in prison today. I intend to make the most of it and use my time wisely.”

Trump vows to ‘save’ Silk Road website creator Ross Ulbricht (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP, @RealRossU/X)

Sharing a screenshot ofUlbricht’s post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I WILL SAVE ROSS ULBRICHT!”

Ulbright has been serving adouble life sentence since 2013 for his involvement in creating the darknet website. The infamous website received roughly $1 billion in Bitcoin BTC/USD for the sale of heroin, cocaine, LSD, and other illegal drugs. Shortly after Ulbricht’s arrest, Silk Road was shut down by the FBI.

When Donald Trump pledged to commute Ross Ulbricht's sentence

Earlier this year, at the Libertarian National Convention, Trump vowed to commute Ulbricht's sentence if he is reelected. "And if you vote for me, on Day One, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht,” he said.

Libertarian voters have long argued for the legalisation of drugs. For years, these people have lobbied for Ulbricht’s release. His supporters distributed hundreds of black and white signs reading “Free Ross” to the crowd at the event.

“It’s one of the things we wanted from his first term,” Katherine Yeniscavich, a national committee member of the party, said of Trump at the time. “He wants Libertarian voters, and if he agreed to free Ross he would get a lot of votes.”

In a previous X post, Ulbricht thanked Trump for promising to commute his sentence. “Last night, Donald Trump pledged to commute my sentence on day 1, if reelected. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. After 11 years in prison, it is hard to express how I feel at this moment. It is thanks to your undying support that I may get a second chance,” Ulbricht wrote.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sumanti Sen
Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More

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