Pardon Calls for Snowden, Ulbricht, and Assange Gain Traction in Crypto Space 

Despite the lawsuits and hysteria, it looks more likely that the Donald Trump administration will come to an end in January. With the President of the United States beginning what many seem could be a spate of presidential pardons, some are advocating for notable crypto lovers to be given a fair shake.

Cementing POTUS 45’s Legacy

Over the past few weeks, several crypto industry insiders have pled with outgoing President Donald Trump to pardon several infamous crypto-linked names. First on the list is Jason Williams, the co-founder of crypto investment firm Morgan Creek Digital Assets.

Williams had shared an article from the Associated Press post about President Trump pardoning Michael Flynn, his first National Security Adviser who was indicted in the heat of the Mueller investigation. The pardon came months after the President commuted the sentence of Roger Stone, a Republican political strategist, who also got indicted in the Mueller probe.

In his tweet, Williams encouraged Trump to “do the right thing” by pardoning Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the now-defunct Dark Web marketplace Silk Road. He also asked for the pardon of former intelligence worker and crypto enthusiast Edward Snowden.

Do the right thing and pardon Edward Snowden and Ross Ulbricht too.

Go out on top. The leader you believe you are and the leader you want people to think you are.@realDonaldTrump https://t.co/qUwbDiJWd9

— Jason A. Williams “Parabolic Guy” (@GoingParabolic) November 25, 2020

Peter McCormack, a famous Bitcoin enthusiast and podcast host, got on the train as well. In a separate tweet, he explained that the Trump presidency would be remembered differently if he could pardon Snowden, Ulbricht, and Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblower platform WikiLeaks and a crypto believer on his own.

.@realDonaldTrump's legacy as president may be remembered very differently if he pardons:
– Ross Ulbricht (@RealRossU)
– Julian Assange
– Edward @Snowden

Humanity would only benefit from this.
ReTweet the shit out of this.

— Peter McCormack (@PeterMcCormack) November 24, 2020

Evaluating the Chances of a Pardon

Ulbricht was arrested for his role in operating Silk Road and given several life sentences in 2013. Several of his platform’s top officials have also faced the law’s wrath, although many of Ulbricht’s fans remain resolute in their push for his release.

Earlier this year, the #FreeRoss campaign, which supports Ulbricht’s release, took out space in Times Square with their message.

Times Square says FREE ROSS! #FreeRoss2020 pic.twitter.com/lbeRvakH2c

— Free_Ross (@Free_Ross) May 20, 2020

Assange and his team at WikiLeaks have been exposing government secrets for years. He is currently at a prison in the United Kingdom, although the U.S. government had charged him on 17 spying charges and one computer hacking charge. A verdict on his extradition is set to be heard on January 4.

After he took asylum following his release of classified documents from the National Security Agency (NSA) over surveillance and other government-sponsored privacy intrusions, Snowden took asylum in Russia and lived there. 

Of all three men, Snowden appears to have the highest chances of a pardon. He is by far the most famous of the three, and the President has claimed that he could start looking towards a possible pardon for him.

It is unclear whether the President will deliver pardons for these gentlemen. President Trump is rumored to be gearing up for several pardons before leaving office, especially for those in his inner circle. Sources have claimed that he has discussed the possibility of pardoning his three eldest children and his senior adviser, Jared Kushner. The President is also reportedly looking to pardon his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani preemptively.