After Fake Assange Pardon News, Crypto Fans in Clamor Over Ulbricht Pardon Rumor

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Tim Alper

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Tim Alper

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Tim Alper is a British journalist and features writer who has worked at Cryptonews.com since 2018. He has written for media outlets such as the BBC, the Guardian, and Chosun Ilbo. He has also worked...

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June 26, 2023

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As the world enters the very last days of the Donald Trump presidency, the rumor mill is in full swing as Twitter-based commenters and more ask what Trump may have planned – and what spanners he could potentially throw into the Joe Biden administration’s works before he leaves office next month.

Rumors have abounded that he may consider a pardon for Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks – but a more recent school of thought appears to suggest that Trump may actually be thinking of pardoning some altogether different – namely Ross Ulbricht, the architect of the notorious darkweb portal the Silk Road.

Ulbricht is currently serving a life sentence with no chance of parole. But per a report from The Daily Beast, three anonymous sources have told the publication that the Silk Road supremo could be on the verge of a pardon.

The media outlet said that “three people familiar with the matter” have told it that “the White House counsel’s office has had documents related to Ulbricht’s case under review, and Trump was recently made aware of the situation and the pleas of the Silk Road founder’s allies.”

And two of these unnamed people said Trump has “at times privately expressed some sympathy for Ulbricht’s situation,” meaning he may consider a pardon before Biden takes power on January 20, 2021

The media outlet further alleged that Ulbricht “has gained some influential backers in the president’s political and social orbit.”

The Silk Road became notorious for allowing individuals to use bitcoin (BTC) to buy drugs and conduct other under-the-radar deals and trades anonymously. It was founded in 2011 and thrived until it was finally shut down by Europol and other international crime investigation agencies in late 2014.

Leading social and political figures have claimed the Assange pardon rumors are true – although Trump ally and prominent evangelist Mark Burns hastily retracted or distanced himself from his own previous claim that the Wikileaks founder was heading for a pardon.

But the potential Ulbricht pardon has certainly stirred the pot in the crypto world, with one bitcoin enthusiast calling the news “huge.”

One called the “rumors” part of a “lame duck news cycle.”

A legal expert called the Silk Road boss’ sentence “grossly unjust.”

Others still accused the FBI of foul play.

And with rumors still strong that whistleblower Edward Snowden could also be handed a pardon before Trump leaves DC, another BTC fan claimed that “Corrupt government officials have the blood on their hands. They’re the traitors.”
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Learn more:
A Bright Side to the Dark Web
Bitcoin Forecast From Prison: Ross Ulbricht Says Prepare to Buy
US Government Is Now Top Bitcoin Whale. What Could Happen Next?