MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis woman President Trump pardoned during his first term has been appointed as ‘pardon czar.’
In 2018, Alice Marie Johnson made national headlines after Trump commuted her life sentence for a drug conviction.
Johnson, who was arrested in 1993, was a non-violent, first-time offender. After reality star Kim Kardashian pleaded the grandmother’s case, she received a full pardon. Since then, she’s been advocating for others.
“I submitted over 100 clemency and pardon petitions to the white house after I gained my own freedom, so to be trusted in a position like this to serve the nation and all communities, it’s really a privilege for me,” said Johnson.
Details about how she’ll carry out her new position are still being worked out, but she begins work immediately.
“It’s very important to me to make sure that those released from prison also have a structure set up so they can be successful in their new lives. It’s very important to me to have safe communities,” Johnson said.
Johnson will be the nation’s first ‘pardon czar.’ President Trump made the announcement at the White House Thursday.
“She spent 22 years in prison. She had another 22 years left. Can you believe it and I pardoned her, and it was one of the best pardons,” said Trump.
Johnson says it’s nothing short of a miracle that she would go from a jailhouse to the White House.