Trump pardon made only hours before prison sentence to be served

Donald Trump has done it again… issuing yet another pardon to a fraudster which appears to be his continued effort to lure in crypto supporters.

This time, it was Ozy Media co-founder Carlos, who Trump pardoned hours before he was scheduled to report to serve his 10-year sentence.

Ross Ulbright Pardon

Donald Trump had made a lot of questionable pardons during this term, and I am not even talking about the January 6 defendants who had violently beaten police.

During the campaign, Trump told the Crypto crowd that he would help Ross Ulbright, who created the Silk Road marketplace.

The site was tagged as a drug trafficking and money laundering scheme, as well as other nefarious conduct, and there was simply no way Trump should have ever considered this. Yet, Trump stated, "I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross.

“The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!"

Trump Pardons Devin Archer

Next up was Devon Archer, a former business partner of Hunter Biden.

Archer had been convicted in a $60 million fraud scheme, yet Trump let him off the hook as well.

In that pardon, Trump touted Archer as a “victim,” playing off the angle that the government went after him after he came out to tell the truth about Hunter Biden.

Archer was no victim, and there is simply no way Trump ever should have pardoned this man.

Carlos Watson Pardoned

Ozy Media co-founder Carlos Watson was only hours from reporting to prison to serve a 10-year sentence when he got the good news from the Trump administration.

The company was founded in 2012, then shuttered in 2021 after the New York Times challenged claims made by the media company. Ozy was also linked to possible securities fraud.

At the time, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace stated, “Watson was a con man who told lie upon lie upon lie to deceive investors into buying stock in his company.”

Trump has also pardoned a handful of other fraudsters, so I am beginning to wonder why we even charge people for fraud since Trump seems dead set on releasing them all from prison. I just don’t see the upside for Trump for issuing these pardons, and I really think he is setting the GOP up for attacks by Democrats over the two election cycles.