Libertarian activists, who generally oppose criminal drug policies, argued the government overreached in building its case against Ross Ulbricht and the dark web marketplace Silk Road.

Trump says he's pardoning Ross Ulbricht because he despises the prosecutors and wants to thank the Libertarian movement that rallied for Ulbricht's freedom for voting for Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison for running an underground online marketplace where drug dealers and others conducted over $200 million in illicit trade using bitcoin.