Sen. Rand Paul explains why Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht (youtube.com)
Paul has been pushing for his release. ‘I’ve always been a believer in fair and appropriate punishment.' Lol why is that even a statement in the US?
Trump, as a result of malicious lawfare, can now sympathize with others who have born the brunt of unjust criminal prosecution. Would he have done this without having suffered? There is a question of how much the Ulbricht pardon was transactional and how much idealistic, but I it doesn't seem it can completely lack either motivation.