President Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old serving a life sentence for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense, following lobbying efforts by Kim Kardashian that resulted in a White House meeting last week. Per The Huffington Post‘s report, the White House announced yesterday that Johnson would be granted clemency.
Following the announcement, Kardashian took to Twitter to praise the President’s “compassion” and to thank everyone who had contributed to the “countless hours” it took to free Johnson.
Brittany K. Barnett, one of Johnson’s attorneys, said in a statement, “Justice has been served today, and it’s long overdue. Alice has more than paid her debt to society by serving over 21 years of a life-without-parole sentence as a nonviolent drug offender.” She continued, “Life in prison without the possibility of parole screams that a person is beyond hope, beyond redemption. And in Alice’s case, it is a punishment that absolutely did not fit the crime.”
Johnson had been serving time since 1996, when she was sentenced for helping a multimillion-dollar cocaine ring, which she claims she only took part in after she’d lost her job and was no longer able to support her family.
Do you think more celebrities should involve themselves in politics? Let us know in the comments.
Next, Miss America has dropped the swimsuit contest and no longer judges contestants on appearance.
