“And if you vote for me, on Day One, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht,” the former president said, generating cheers from the audience, moments after mentioning his plans to pardon supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“It’s one of the things we wanted from his first term,” said Katherine Yeniscavich, a national committee member of the party.
Ulbricht has been imprisoned since 2013, and some libertarians say his case is an example of government overreach and the need for criminal justice reforms. Ulbricht’s case was one of the top issues that libertarians asked Trump to address before the convention — and it won Trump his biggest applause of the night.
In another olive branch to the third-party, Trump said he would put a Libertarian in his cabinet if elected, and would also place Libertarians in “senior posts” in his administration.
But despite those promises, Trump received sustained boos and jeers from the crowd throughout his speech, suggesting the pledge to pardon Ulbricht may not be enough.
As part of his appeal to the party, Trump also committed to putting a Libertarian in his Cabinet if he wins the Oval Office in 2024 — and to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, who is serving life in prison for his role in operating a platform for buying and selling illegal drugs. Chants of “free Ross” had erupted several times throughout the night’s events.
Here is a short politico article:
Trump pledges to commute sentence of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht if elected [Peder Schaefer | 05/25/2024 | Politico] https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/25/trump-commute-ross-ulbricht-sentence-libertarian-convention-00160025
Edit: added info below
The Hill article, short paragraph on Ross:
Trump draws mixed reactions as he urges Libertarians ‘combine with us’ [Julia Mueller | 05/25/24 | The Hill] https://thehill.com/homenews/4686347-trump-draws-mixed-reactions-as-he-urges-libertarians-combine-with-us/