The presidential changeover last week was accompanied by a flurry of pardons — stretching the power of the pardon about as far as we’ve ever seen it go.

Outgoing President Joe Biden preemptively pardoned a group of people believed to be on the new administration’s “enemies list”: members of his family, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, the Congressional Select Committee to Investigate January 6 Attack, and more.

Incoming President Donald Trump, meanwhile, pardoned 1,500 Capitol riot insurrectionists, plus two DC-area police officers and 23 anti-abortion activists.

But even among the deluge, one pardon stood out: Trump granted clemency to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the dark web drug marketplace Silk Road. In so doing, Trump fulfilled a campaign promise he made to libertarians and crypto fans alike, to whom Ulbricht is something of a folk hero.

Nick Bilton, author of American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road, joined Today, Explained to talk about how Ulbricht was originally captured, break down Trump’s decision to grant him clemency, and explain what it tells us about the new administration.

Below is an excerpt of the conversation, edited for length and........

© Vox