2025-12-16 01:20:14

Trump has recently been paying attention to an interesting case—Samourai Wallet developer Rodriguez was sentenced to 5 years. This wallet, which offers privacy features, was targeted by the Department of Justice and classified as an illegal money transmission tool. Rodriguez is set to report to federal prison this Friday.

But a twist has emerged. Trump stated he would "look into" the matter, meaning a pardon could be possible. He also specifically asked Attorney General Bondi to investigate related pardon requests. This has sparked considerable discussion in the crypto community—after all, privacy tools have always been a gray area in regulation, with opinions varying widely on whether they represent free speech or facilitate money laundering.

This case reflects a deeper issue: how developers balance innovation and compliance. Bitcoin itself champions privacy and decentralization, but government agencies have always taken a strict stance on such tools. Future pardon trends in similar cases could influence the entire privacy coin ecosystem and developers' choices. Now, it all depends on how the Trump administration decides.

BTC4,55%

View Original

This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.

16 Likes

Reward
16
10
Repost
Share

Comment

0/400

ParallelChainMaxi

· 2025-12-18 23:12

Pardon? That's just political bargaining. Whether Rodriguez can come out alive depends entirely on Trump's mood. It's crazy. Why are privacy tools considered money laundering? That logic is just absurd. Rodriguez is a guy who’s willing to serve time for his beliefs. Respect. A developer’s fate being decided by politicians—what freedom is left in Web3... Hey sisters, if a pardon really happens, does that mean other privacy projects can breathe a sigh of relief? This is the real gray area—writing code can land you five years in prison. This Rodriguez case could change the entire way privacy coins are used. It’s a critical moment. Let’s see who truly supports Web3 freedom—time will tell. Not granting a pardon is essentially a covert suppression of the open-source spirit. That’s a bit much. A pardon is highly likely—Trump needs to curry favor with this vote. If this move succeeds, what about other convicted developers? Double standards? The government targeting privacy tools is just funny. Isn’t that the essence of encryption? Is Rodriguez a martyr or a trial-and-error seeker? It all depends on that one vote from Trump.

View OriginalReply0

WenMoon42

· 2025-12-18 03:27

Pardon Rodriguez? The privacy coin community is about to get excited. Let's see how Trump plays this move.

View OriginalReply0

GasFeeNightmare

· 2025-12-17 12:52

Privacy tools being used as money laundering accomplices is really ironic; Bitcoin itself is designed this way. The pardon thing is still in the early stages, don’t be too optimistic. Rodriguez really stepped into a trap; developers are caught between innovation and compliance, it’s really tough. Trump’s one phrase "study it" and the crypto community starts dreaming again; wake up, everyone. The gray area is like this: today’s freedom of speech could become illegal tomorrow; who can say for sure? This case has a big impact; if it’s truly pardoned, the entire privacy coin ecosystem will be restless. Where exactly is the bottom line of compliance? The Department of Justice has never given a clear answer. Bondy is investigating... that could take forever; I bet five bucks they’ll drag it out until the end of time. Where developers go from here depends on political trends; this is the most heartbreaking part of Web3.

View OriginalReply0

GasFeeVictim

· 2025-12-16 05:59

Pardoning privacy wallet developers? Now this gets interesting, let's see how Trump handles it. Was there a rescue before Rodriguez got involved? Feels like this is getting bigger behind the scenes. Whether privacy tools should be illegal or not, this issue should have been clarified long ago. Developers are facing great difficulties; there's really no balance between innovation and regulation. Come to think of it, if they are truly pardoned, what difference would it make...

View OriginalReply0

AirdropHunter007

· 2025-12-16 01:50

Pardon for privacy tool developers? This is getting interesting, let's see how Trump handles it. Rodriguez's involvement is really heartbreaking; privacy is fundamentally a right, okay? It feels like the policy trend is about to change, gotta keep an eye on the developments. This Samourai issue is very typical; whether innovation or violation depends on who says so. Are privacy coins going to make a comeback, everyone, or will they continue to be suppressed? The atmosphere has indeed changed; did those previous suppressions suddenly ease? Developers are having a really tough time now, caught between innovation and regulation. If this pardon is genuine, the entire ecosystem will need to be redefined.

View OriginalReply0

ChainDetective

· 2025-12-16 01:50

Pardon Rodriguez? I think it's possible, but this needs to genuinely change the future roadmap of privacy tools to be worth discussing. Rodriguez only realized after going to jail, maybe this can wake some people up. Is it true that Trump would pardon privacy developers? That depends on how Bondi investigates. The gray area is like this—unstoppable and unregulatable, developers still have to gamble on their own. Samourai's case actually boils down to one question—whose rights are more important, privacy or anti-money laundering? In my opinion, Rodriguez has shattered many people's illusions over the past five years. If the pardon really happens, a bunch of privacy projects will be popping champagne afterward.

View OriginalReply0

MetaDreamer

· 2025-12-16 01:48

Pardon? If this guy really gets out, the spring of privacy coins might really be here, but it also depends on whether Trump is serious or just teasing again.

View OriginalReply0

SmartContractWorker

· 2025-12-16 01:45

Pardon privacy tool developers? If that really happens, the trendsetter of the crypto ecosystem will be completely changed, but I bet Trump will ultimately compromise. Rodriguez is just unlucky, born in the wrong era. How did privacy technology become illegal tools? Damn, now developers have to think about whether to continue developing privacy tools or obediently compromise. It's a dilemma. Anyway, if this gets bigger, the entire privacy coin ecosystem is watching. Pardon or jail, the decision will be made in the next few days. The feeling of a sword hanging over your head is indeed uncomfortable. Is "studying it" some new form of procrastination? Laugh out loud. When it's time to make a decision, just make it. Privacy and money laundering—this is a problem the government hasn't figured out yet, and developers will have to take the fall first.

View OriginalReply0

CounterIndicator

· 2025-12-16 01:35

Haha, just waiting to see if Trump is truly researching or just throwing smoke... At the end of the day, privacy tools are still a political game. Rodriguez is in, and that's that. The key is whether the subsequent pardon can be implemented. If the pardon actually happens, the entire ecosystem will have to change accordingly. But on the other hand, Samourai also seems unlucky this time, caught between free speech and anti-money laundering, nothing seems right. It feels like Trump just wants to gain favor with the privacy protection camp, whether it's reliable or not remains to be seen. Developers must be having a tough time now... even building a privacy feature requires extreme caution. If the pardon really goes through, that would be interesting. Will many people follow suit?

View OriginalReply0

CrashHotline

· 2025-12-16 01:27

Huh? Privacy tools are deemed illegal? That logic is truly brilliant. --- Rodriguez is going to jail... How likely is Trump's pardon? --- Where is the line between freedom of speech and money laundering? Who can clarify? --- Really, developers have it too tough; innovation and compliance are fundamentally parallel lines. --- Let's wait for Trump's decision; whether this can be reversed depends on him. --- The path of privacy coins will eventually be shut down; it's just a matter of time. --- Bondi's investigation into the pardon request? Now that's a political drama. --- Five years in prison just for creating a privacy wallet? Is Web3 truly free?

View OriginalReply0