US US politics 2025

[Andy_T]

Something I only heard today, which already happened on day 2 of the administration:

Trump pardons Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht

Trump said he had called Ulbricht's mother to let her know he had granted her son a full pardon.

www.bbc.com

Why is this a big thing?

Ubricht was convicted in 2015 for founding the "Dark Web", where 200 million $ of drugs, illegal guns, traficked humans and illicit services (e.g. murders for hire) were traded anonymously, with Bitcoin as payment medium. He was sentenced to two lifetimes and 40 years.

So if somebody claims to be "against Fentanyl", why do they pardon the person who is responsible for the biggest fentanyl deals in history?

What reasons did Dump give?

He said "it had been his pleasure" to issue an unconditional pardon for Ulbricht, because the Libertarian movement had helped him so much to become president, and that the people who had convicted Ulbricht had also been mean to him.

That is definitely one of the most scandalous pardons in the history of the United States.

 

[PTree15]

Something I only heard today, which already happened on day 2 of the administration:

Trump pardons Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht

Trump said he had called Ulbricht's mother to let her know he had granted her son a full pardon.

www.bbc.com

Why is this a big thing?

Ubricht was convicted in 2015 for founding the "Dark Web", where 200 million $ of drugs, illegal guns, traficked humans and illicit services (e.g. murders for hire) were traded anonymously, with Bitcoin as payment medium. He was sentenced to two lifetimes and 40 years.

So if somebody claims to be "against Fentanyl", why do they pardon the person who is responsible for the biggest fentanyl deals in history?

What reasons did Dump give?

He said "it had been his pleasure" to issue an unconditional pardon for Ulbricht, because the Libertarian movement had helped him so much to become president, and that the people who had convicted Ulbricht had also been mean to him.

That is definitely one of the most scandalous pardons in the history of the United States.

It is scandalous. He talks out of two sides of his mouth. It's so infuriating.

 

[Tom L.]

Oh, I think they will do that simply by attacking some other small, defenseless country.

Since Sean Spicer falsely accuesd Iran of attacking American ships in 2017, I had been waiting for this.

Press Secretary Sean Spicer Falsely Accuses Iran of Attacking U.S. Navy Vessel, an Act of War

It was Houthi rebels who attacked a Saudi frigate. This is how wars start.

theintercept.com

I REALLY need to start paying more attention. I had forgotten about this.

I don't know... there's so much going on, maybe that's why it's hard to keep up. But it's important.

 

[Second Summer]

Something I only heard today, which already happened on day 2 of the administration:

Trump pardons Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht

Trump said he had called Ulbricht's mother to let her know he had granted her son a full pardon.

www.bbc.com

Why is this a big thing?

Ubricht was convicted in 2015 for founding the "Dark Web", where 200 million $ of drugs, illegal guns, traficked humans and illicit services (e.g. murders for hire) were traded anonymously, with Bitcoin as payment medium. He was sentenced to two lifetimes and 40 years.

So if somebody claims to be "against Fentanyl", why do they pardon the person who is responsible for the biggest fentanyl deals in history?

What reasons did Dump give?

He said "it had been his pleasure" to issue an unconditional pardon for Ulbricht, because the Libertarian movement had helped him so much to become president, and that the people who had convicted Ulbricht had also been mean to him.

That is definitely one of the most scandalous pardons in the history of the United States.

Ulbricht did not found the Dark Web, and that's not what he was convicted for. He was also not convicted for trafficking or murders for hire. I believe his site, Silk Road, forbid items/services that would be specifically harmful to children. However, according to the US attorney's office, southern district of NY, this is what he actually was convicted of:

ULBRICHT, 31, of San Francisco, California, was convicted of seven offenses after a four-week jury trial: distributing narcotics, distributing narcotics by means of the Internet, conspiring to distribute narcotics, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiring to commit computer hacking, conspiring to traffic in false identity documents, and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Ross Ulbricht, A/K/A “Dread Pirate Roberts,” Sentenced In Manhattan Federal Court To Life In Prison

www.justice.gov

These are very serious crimes for which he was rightfully sentenced to a long prison sentence. That said, it sounds as if the judge wanted to make an example out of him to deter copy cats. Two life sentences and an additional 40 years sounds like overkill to me. In Europe you generally do not get sentenced to anything beyond 21 years, unless you're deemed to pose a threat to society, e.g. people who are violent due to mental illness.

 

[Andy_T]

I agree with you that the punishment was especially und disproportionately harsh, but for a « Party of Law and Order » standing up against « the horrible Fentanyl epidemic » and using it as a pretext to deport millions of people, the argument « his party helped so well in getting me elected » should not really fly.