WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump plans to announce Saturday at the Libertarian National Convention that he intends to commute the life sentence of Silk Road website operator Ross Ulbricht, 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 “Silk Road,” through which people bought and sold drugs, among other illegal goods and services.
Many libertarians have called for Ulbricht’s release. At Saturday’s convention, the crowd was filled with “Free Ross” signs and chants in support of Ulbricht.
However, Trump’s previous comments about drug dealers conflict with Saturday’s planned announcement about Ulbricht.
The former president has said the death penalty should be imposed on certain drug dealers, depending on the severity of the crime.
Preet Bharara, who was the U.S. attorney for Manhattan when Ulbricht was convicted in 2015, said in a news release at the time that Ulbricht’s actions contributed to at least six deaths. Bharara also called Ulbricht “a drug dealer and criminal profiteer.”
“While in operation, Silk Road was used by thousands of drug dealers and other illicit sellers to distribute hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs and other illicit goods and services to more than 100,000 buyers, and to launder hundreds of millions of dollars derived from these illicit practices emerged. transactions,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a 2015 press release announcing Ulbricht’s conviction.
On Friday night, the libertarian crowd was hostile to mentions of Trump, and the audience booed when Vivek Ramaswamy brought up the former president. In addition, the crowd cheered a Libertarian Party member’s suggestion that “we’re going to tell Donald Trump to go himself.”
“What he’s really trying to do is show that he can be a president for all Americans,” a Trump campaign official said ahead of the former president’s comments. “If you want to compete for non-traditional Republican votes, you have to go where they are. You can’t expect them to just show up at your place.”
The Libertarian National Convention takes place at the Washington Hilton hotel in DC.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
