President Donald Trump commuted the life sentence of Alice Marie Johnson on Wednesday after the case was brought to his attention by Kim Kardashian West.
Johnson, a 63-year-old grandmother, was arrested as a first-time, nonviolent drug offender, and sentenced to life in prison where she has spent the past 21 years. She was convicted of conspiracy to possess cocaine and attempted possession of cocaine.
Luckily for Johnson, her case had been noticed by Kim Kardashian West. Kardashian West visited the White House on May 30, where she met with Trump and asked for him to use his authority to pardon Johnson. The two also talked about "prison reform and sentencing," according to a tweet from the president.
Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing. pic.twitter.com/uOy4UJ41JF
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018
Ivanka Trump reportedly helped to set up that meeting.
The White House released a statement on Wednesday announcing that President Trump had granted a commutation to Johnson. The statement added that:
Ms. Johnson has accepted responsibility for her past behavior and has been a model prisoner over the past two decades. Despite receiving a life sentence, Alice worked hard to rehabilitate herself in prison, and act as a mentor to her fellow inmates.
After listing a quote from Johnson's warden, who described her as “a model inmate who is willing to go above and beyond in all work tasks,” the statement from the White House continued:
While this Administration will always be very tough on crime, it believes that those who have paid their debt to society and worked hard to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance.
On Wednesday, Kardashian West tweeted out her approval of the news with an all caps "BEST NEWS EVER!!!"
BEST NEWS EVER!!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 https://t.co/JUbpbE1Bk0
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) June 6, 2018
This is Trump's sixth pardon as president. He has also granted pardons to Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, I. Lewis "Scooter Libby (former Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff who was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice), Dinesh D'Souza, Kristen Sacier (a Navy sailor who pled guilty to unauthorized possession of classified information), and iconic boxer Jack Johnson. Johnson, who died in 1946, was arrested for transporting a white woman across state lines. Sylvester Stallone had personally asked Trump to consider giving Johnson a pardon.
