{"id":1890,"date":"2025-01-25T04:33:48","date_gmt":"2025-01-25T04:33:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/"},"modified":"2025-01-25T04:33:48","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T04:33:48","slug":"how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/","title":{"rendered":"How Trump Decided to Pardon Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In December 2023, Angela McArdle, the chair of the Libertarian Party, flew to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Donald J. Trump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump wanted to know how to win over libertarian voters, a constituency he thought could help him reclaim the presidency, Ms. McArdle said in an interview. She had an answer: Free <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/02\/05\/nyregion\/man-behind-silk-road-website-is-convicted-on-all-counts.html\" title=\"\">Ross Ulbricht<\/a>, a Bitcoin pioneer who was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for creating Silk Road, the world\u2019s largest online drug marketplace. Mr. Ulbricht was regarded as a libertarian hero for building an illegal market outside the government\u2019s reach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI love freeing people,\u201d Mr. Trump said, according to Ms. McArdle. Five months later, she hosted him at the Libertarian Party\u2019s national convention, where he announced onstage that, if elected to the presidency, he would release Mr. Ulbricht.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Tuesday, the day after his inauguration, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/21\/technology\/trump-ross-ulbricht-silk-road.html\" title=\"\">Mr. Trump made good<\/a> on that promise. He called Mr. Ulbricht\u2019s mother, Lyn Ulbricht, to personally tell her that he had granted a full pardon to her son, who is now 40. In a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/113869112741612092\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">post<\/a> on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said the decision was \u201cin honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Ulbricht\u2019s pardon was not an obvious agenda item for Mr. Trump. Unlike the nearly <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/20\/us\/politics\/trump-pardons-jan-6.html\" title=\"\">1,600 people who received pardons or commutations<\/a> this week for their involvement in the Jan. 6 riot, Mr. Ulbricht had little direct connection to the president. But the move had long been in the works, after more than a decade of activism by Mr. Ulbricht\u2019s supporters \u2014 including cryptocurrency investors, libertarian politicians and especially Ms. Ulbricht, who was a vocal proponent for her son\u2019s release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many of them have enjoyed an unusual level of access to Mr. Trump. As it became clear last year that Mr. Trump would be the Republican nominee, they waged a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign to secure a pardon \u2014 including pledging to raise money for his election bid \u2014 in what has turned into a case study of how a special interest group can mobilize to influence the president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ms. McArdle said she was put in contact with Mr. Trump by Richard Grenell, one of his longtime advisers and a former acting director of national intelligence, who suggested she treat conversations with Mr. Trump like a business negotiation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cRic was like, \u2018He\u2019s a deal-maker, Angela,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to ask for something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Grenell, Ms. Ulbricht and the Trump administration did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Ulbricht\u2019s pardon shows \u201cthat if you have a concentrated base of people around Trump, you have a very good chance at a pardon,\u201d said Dan Richman, a former federal prosecutor who teaches at Columbia Law School. \u201cThere are problems with the pardon system working that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Ulbricht launched Silk Road in 2011 and turned it into one of the most popular outposts of the so-called Dark Web, a hidden corner of the internet that people can access only through a special browser. Silk Road facilitated over 1.5 million transactions, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/02\/05\/nyregion\/man-behind-silk-road-website-is-convicted-on-all-counts.html\" title=\"\">generating more than<\/a> $200 million in revenue from the sale of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and other drugs, authorities have said. Users transacted anonymously with Bitcoin, then a nascent cryptocurrency, and could post Amazon-style product ratings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In 2013, the F.B.I. arrested Mr. Ulbricht at a San Francisco library and charged him with running Silk Road. In court, prosecutors presented evidence that Mr. Ulbricht had also solicited the murders of people he considered threats to the business, though he was never tried on murder-for-hire charges and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-sdny\/pr\/silk-road-drug-vendor-who-claimed-commit-murders-hire-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">there was no<\/a> indication that any killings took place.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-small css-nss59b e1g7ppur0\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\"><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\" class=\"css-13ytnnu ewdxa0s0\"><span class=\"css-jevhma e13ogyst0\">Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the website Silk Road, appears in an undated photograph made from his computer and presented as an exhibit during his 2015 criminal trial in New York federal court.<\/span><span class=\"css-14fe1uy e1z0qqy90\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Credit&#8230;<\/span><span><span aria-hidden=\"false\">U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office for the Southern District of New York, via Reuters<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At least six deaths were attributed to drugs bought on Silk Road, prosecutors said in court. A federal judge in the Southern District of New York, where the case was tried, called Mr. Ulbricht \u201cthe kingpin of a worldwide digital drug-trafficking enterprise\u201d whose actions were \u201cterribly destructive to our social fabric.\u201d In 2015, he received a life sentence for drug distribution, money laundering and other charges, and was eventually moved to a federal prison in Arizona.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The punishment <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2016\/10\/judges-question-ulbrichts-life-sentence-silk-road-appeal\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">struck some legal experts<\/a> as harsh. It also drew protests from libertarians who opposed severe drug penalties and crypto enthusiasts who viewed Mr. Ulbricht as a pioneer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Silk Road \u201conboarded a million people to Bitcoin,\u201d said David Bailey, the chief executive of the news publication Bitcoin Magazine, who campaigned for Mr. Ulbricht\u2019s release. \u201cHe represents many of the ideological views of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">From prison, Mr. Ulbricht played up his connection to Bitcoin. In October 2018, he sent a letter to his mother celebrating the 10th anniversary of the cryptocurrency\u2019s founding and likened himself to a \u201cproud parent\u201d of the technology.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI guess I\u2019m the estranged father in prison though, who can\u2019t be there to help raise his kid,\u201d he wrote in the letter, which was later <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/culture\/happy-birthday-bitcoin-letter-ross-ulbricht\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">published by Bitcoin Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On social media accounts maintained by his family, Mr. Ulbricht also shared artwork, updates on his prison gardening and thoughts on new technologies. The accounts posted links to online petitions asking for clemency, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealRossU\/status\/1063123861770657792\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">tagging<\/a> Mr. Trump and Trump family members.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Behind the scenes, Ms. Ulbricht worked to popularize the slogan \u201cFree Ross,\u201d which become a rallying cry at crypto conferences. She also networked with Republican politicians and far-right influencers, hoping to reach Mr. Trump\u2019s inner circle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">After he lost the 2020 election, Mr. Trump <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/trump-considers-clemency-for-ross-ulbricht-silk-road-kingpin-convicted-of-drug-and-money-laundering-charges\/?via=twitter_page\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">considered freeing Mr. Ulbricht<\/a>, and at least <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/01\/17\/us\/politics\/trump-pardons.html\" title=\"\">one lobbyist was paid $22,500<\/a> to help secure his release, according to financial forms. But Mr. Trump left office without taking action.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe higher the hope, the greater the disappointment, and our hopes were sky high for a commutation of sentence,\u201d Mr. Ulbricht\u2019s family <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealRossU\/status\/1354811967534370817\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">posted<\/a> on social media in January 2021.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The new Republican presidential campaign offered a fresh opportunity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In 2023, Ms. Ulbricht renewed her push to connect with influential Republicans, including <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/15\/us\/politics\/vivek-ramaswamy-potential-conflicts.html\" title=\"\">Vivek Ramaswamy<\/a>, who was running for president, two people close to her said. Mr. Ramaswamy, who did not respond to a request for comment, committed to freeing Mr. Ulbricht if elected and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=W3GD-Y69Hos\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">spoke openly<\/a> about meeting his mother.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Then in late 2023, Ms. McArdle was contacted by Mr. Grenell, who asked on behalf of Mr. Trump for advice on courting the libertarian vote, she said. Soon she was on a plane to Florida to meet Mr. Trump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At the meeting, Ms. McArdle told Mr. Trump that Mr. Ulbricht was the victim of prosecutorial overreach and a biased criminal justice system, echoing complaints that the former president had made since leaving office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt\u2019s the same court stuff in New York that has been giving you a hard time,\u201d she said she told him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Last year, Mr. Trump and his staff also met with Mr. Bailey and other representatives of Bitcoin Magazine, who pushed for Mr. Ulbricht\u2019s release. Tracy Hoyos-L\u00f3pez, who worked for the magazine, has <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hRInJg1wBCU\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> publicly that the introduction was arranged by Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump\u2019s campaign chairman in 2016. (Ms. Hoyos-L\u00f3pez is the daughter of Hector Hoyos, a friend and former business partner of Mr. Manafort.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On social media, Mr. Bailey <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DavidFBailey\/status\/1789141605544538467\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">announced<\/a> that he planned to raise a \u201c$100m war chest for the Trump campaign.\u201d He also went to Mar-a-Lago in June, he said in an interview, where he presented Mr. Trump with a letter from Lyn Ulbricht.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">By then, Mr. Trump had already vowed to free Mr. Ulbricht at the Libertarian Party convention. He <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/q0kT-HDWbJU\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">doubled down<\/a> on that pledge in July at a conference in Nashville organized by Bitcoin Magazine, saying he would commute Mr. Ulbricht\u2019s sentence \u2014 allowing him to walk free, but without erasing the conviction. Around that time, Mr. Trump also met privately with Ms. Ulbricht, said Ms. McArdle, who was briefed on the meeting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ms. McArdle has faced <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/thirdpartywatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/2024-CAB-006230.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">blowback<\/a> from other libertarians for her dealings with Mr. Trump. But she was still in touch with the new administration last week, and requested that Mr. Trump grant Mr. Ulbricht a full pardon, not just a commutation.<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>\u201cPromises made, promises kept,\u201d a Trump staffer emailed her, according to a copy of the message viewed by The New York Times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Tuesday night, Ms. McArdle, Mr. Bailey and Ms. Hoyos-L\u00f3pez gathered in a livestream on X to wait for updates. Mr. Bailey told listeners that Ms. Ulbricht was in Arizona, preparing for her son&#8217;s release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Within hours of the pardon, an account on X controlled by Mr. Ulbricht\u2019s family posted a photograph of him<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>leaving prison with a small plant and a sack of belongings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cFREEDOM!!!!\u201d the post said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Kenneth P. Vogel<!-- --> contributed reporting. <!-- -->Susan C. Beachy<!-- --> contributed research.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/22\/technology\/ross-ulbricht-trump-pardon.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In December 2023, Angela McArdle, the chair of the Libertarian Party, flew to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Donald J. Trump.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1891,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Trump Decided to Pardon Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Trump Decided to Pardon Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht - World News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In December 2023, Angela McArdle, the chair of the Libertarian Party, flew to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Donald J. Trump.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-25T04:33:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"News\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2\"},\"headline\":\"How Trump Decided to Pardon Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-25T04:33:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-25T04:33:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/\"},\"wordCount\":1487,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1\",\"articleSection\":[\"Technology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/\",\"name\":\"How Trump Decided to Pardon Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht - World News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-25T04:33:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-25T04:33:48+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1\",\"width\":1050,\"height\":550},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Trump Decided to Pardon Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/\",\"name\":\"World News\",\"description\":\"World News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization\",\"name\":\"World News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png\",\"width\":581,\"height\":581,\"caption\":\"World News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2\",\"name\":\"News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Trump Decided to Pardon Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht - World News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Trump Decided to Pardon Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht - World News","og_description":"In December 2023, Angela McArdle, the chair of the Libertarian Party, flew to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Donald J. Trump.","og_url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/","og_site_name":"World News","article_published_time":"2025-01-25T04:33:48+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"News","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/"},"author":{"name":"News","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2"},"headline":"How Trump Decided to Pardon Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht","datePublished":"2025-01-25T04:33:48+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-25T04:33:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/"},"wordCount":1487,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1","articleSection":["Technology"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/","name":"How Trump Decided to Pardon Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht - World News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1","datePublished":"2025-01-25T04:33:48+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-25T04:33:48+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1","width":1050,"height":550},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-trump-decided-to-pardon-silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Trump Decided to Pardon Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/","name":"World News","description":"World News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization","name":"World News","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png","width":581,"height":581,"caption":"World News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2","name":"News","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1","medium":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1","medium_large":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=768&resize=768,0&ssl=1","large":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1","1536x1536":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1536&resize=1536,1536&ssl=1","2048x2048":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=2048&resize=2048,2048&ssl=1","colormag-highlighted-post":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=392&resize=392,272&ssl=1","colormag-featured-post-medium":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=390&resize=390,205&ssl=1","colormag-featured-post-small":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=130&resize=130,90&ssl=1","colormag-featured-image":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=800&resize=800,445&ssl=1","colormag-default-news":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1","colormag-featured-image-large":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1400&resize=1400,600&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-block-extra-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1155&resize=1155,480&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-grid-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=600&resize=600,417&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-grid-small-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=285&resize=285,450&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-grid-medium-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=575&resize=575,198&ssl=1"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"News","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e85cf08852547781a5f631f3713dbb5197ed4b54e32ae19c7d5769b8c8504897?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":false,"magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"In December 2023, Angela McArdle, the chair of the Libertarian Party, flew to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Donald J. Trump.","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["Technology"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":101,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":8,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1",1050,550,false],"medium":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1",300,300,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/22\/multimedia\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz\/00ulbricht-ticktock-hcvz-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1",150,150,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"News","author_link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/author\/admin\/"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e85cf08852547781a5f631f3713dbb5197ed4b54e32ae19c7d5769b8c8504897?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-39\">Technology<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}