On December 15, 2025, President Donald Trump announced he would review a potential pardon for Keonne Rodriguez, founder of Samourai Wallet, during an Oval Office Q&A, per Cryptopolitan_News. Trump stated, “I’ve heard about it, I’ll look at it,” directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to examine the case, adding, “I don’t know anything about it, but we’ll take a look,” per. This follows pardons for Ross Ulbricht (Silk Road) and Changpeng Zhao (Binance), signaling an end to the Biden-era “war on crypto.”
Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill launched Samourai Wallet, a Bitcoin privacy tool with a mixing service to obscure transaction origin. Arrested under the Biden administration, they faced conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, with prosecutors alleging facilitation of millions in illicit funds. Rodriguez received 5 years, Hill 4 years last month, per. Critics argue that he case targeted privacy tools, similar to Tornado Cash developers.
Rodriguez posted on X: “The most challenging aspect was getting Trump’s attention… If he looks closely, it’s déjà vu with a weaponized Biden DOJ, and I think he’d grant a pardon,” thanking supporters with 4 days until reporting to FPC Morgantown, per. Bitcoin advocates, fresh from Ulbricht’s pardon, rally for Samourai and Tornado Cash developers, viewing cases as overreach on financial privacy, per. X posts from @BitcoinMagazine amplify the push.
Trump’s consideration could bolster crypto privacy sentiment, with BTC at $85,801 stable despite 10% monthly dips, per CoinMarketCap. ETH at $4,070 reflects caution, per. Monitor White House statements via whitehouse.gov and DOJ on justice.gov. BTC support at $80,400; diversify into USDC or ETH with stop-losses below $80,000, per TradingView. Follow @TheBlock__ on X for updates. A pardon may signal a pro-privacy policy, but mixing tools faces ongoing scrutiny in 2025.
