Posted on 05/25/2024 5:58:14 PM PDT by RandFan
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump plans to announce at the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday that he intends to commute "Silk Road" website operator Ross Ulbricht's life in prison sentence, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Ulbricht was sentenced to life in federal prison in 2015 for creating and operating a hidden website known as the "Silk Road" that people used to buy and sell drugs, among other illegal goods and services.
Many libertarians have called for Ulbricht's release. At the convention on Saturday, the crowd was filled with "free Ross" signs and took up chants in support of Ulbricht.
However, Trump's previous comments about drug dealers are in conflict with Saturday's planned announcement about Ulbricht.
The former president has said that the death penalty should be instituted for certain drug dealers, depending on the severity of the crime.
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I know someone who knows Ross very well. Here is the thing about him, he is an idealist. He did not intend on creating a marketplace for criminals. He was a free market absolutist. He could have cut a deal, but chose prison instead. I think he was naive and dumb as hell, but he is not evil.
There is such a thing as excessive punishment. A lot of the J6ers have received it.
I don’t think anyone but a few hardcore quasi-anarchist libertarian types think Ulbricht didn’t do anything worth punishing. But you need punishment that fits the crime. That’s what the Eighth Amendment is about.
I think many would argue that in Ross Ulbricht’s case, the punishment was excessive. Trump is not offering to pardon him, merely to commute his sentence.
It’s worth noting that everyone else involved in teh Silk Road case got significant ly less time.
What a terrible idea. If Donald Trump were to commute the sentence of this drug lord, Donald Trump would be a chump.
Ulbricht was a prime facilitator.
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