Ross Ulbricht sets the record straight as Kamala Harris’s critique misses the mark

Ross Ulbricht, maker of Silk Highway and one in all Bitcoin’s earliest public champions, didn’t waste time calling Kamala Harris after she had labeled him ‘The Fentanyl supplier’ in her new ebook, additionally criticizing President Trump for commuting his sentence.

Ulbricht established the report legislation: he was by no means prosecuted for the private motion of medicine, and Fentanyl shouldn’t be a part of his prices.

Harris’ E-book Declare Sparks Pushbacks

Ulbricht’s message doesn’t pose. His message is obvious: Harris’s declare was really inaccurate, and the motivation behind it appears political and paints each Ulbricht and President Trump in a detrimental mild. Ulbricht wrote:

“The reality isn’t necessary for you. The aim is simply to make me and President Trump look good, proper?

Democrats have lengthy been accused of hostile angle in the direction of the crypto business, which will increase regulatory altarnas by initiatives equivalent to “ChokePoint 2.0”.

Harris’ paading of Ulbricht seems like simply one other instance of the broader hostility of the Democrats to the disturbing potential of crypto.

Ross Ulbricht, the architect behind Silk Highway

For many who are much less accustomed to Crypto Lore, Ross Ulbricht is the architect behind Silk Highway, the infamous on-line market that Bitcoin used for transactions at a time when most individuals had by no means heard of the cryptocurrency.

Silk Highway was launched in 2011 and customers have been capable of purchase and promote a collection of products (some authorized, many not) out of the attain of conventional laws.

Ulbricht was arrested in 2013 and finally obtained a life sentence with out the opportunity of conditional launch. It was a punishment that many authorized specialists, technical leaders and proponents of Privateness discovered extreme. His case grew to become a flash level in debates about web freedom, reform of felony legislation and the federal government method for brand spanking new expertise.

In January 2025, President Trump commuted Ulbricht’s punishment, which allowed him to run free after greater than a decade behind bars. The transfer was celebrated by the Bitcoin neighborhood and has lengthy been praised as long-awaited justice. Nevertheless, others, together with Harris, criticized it as reckless and politically motivated.

Silk Highway and its affect on Bitcoin

No matter the place you stand on the actions of the Silk Highway, its affect on the event of Bitcoin can’t be denied. Silk Highway gave Bitcoin his first Actual-World use case, which exhibits that decentralized, permissionless digital forex may really work.

Though Ulbricht Bitcoin didn’t invent, his website helped to maneuver it from an obscure experiment to a expertise with world title recognition. That legacy is sophisticated. Critics level out that Silk Highway made criminal activity attainable, whereas supporters stop it exhibiting the disinter media energy of blockchain.

Even right this moment, the story of Ulbricht is commonly cited when questions on crypto coverage and on-line liberties come up.

The refutation of Ulbricht in opposition to Harris is about greater than justifying the report. It’s a reminder of how controversial his case stays, not solely in technical circles, however on the nationwide political stage.

Harris’ resolution to characterize Ulbricht as a ‘fentanyl supplier’, regardless of the absence of such prices, speaks to the heated narrative battles which can be accompanied by presidential politics and controversial grace.