Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of a 63-year-old woman who was serving a life sentence for non-violent drug offences.
Alice Marie Johnson was convicted on charges of conspiracy to possess cocaine and attempted possession of cocaine, and had already served 21 years before Trump intervened.
The pardon comes after reality TV star Kim Kardashian West visited the White House to speak directly to Trump about Johnson’s case last week, after contacting his daughter Ivanka to help set up the meeting.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Senior Trump advisers, including chief of staff John Kelly and White House counsel Donald McGahn, both expressed their disapproval of the decision to issue the pardon, with McGahn calling it “an unnecessary action by the president”.
The Washington Post reports that senior White House aides believe that Trump has become “fixated on his ability to issue pardons”, which they describe as his “new favourite thing”.
“The presidential pardon holds a special resonance for Trump, representing one area where he has almost unchecked power as other aspects of his presidency… remain outside his control,” The Post says.
CNN reports that the pardon is “the sixth act of clemency Trump has issued since taking office, and the second granted by Trump after a celebrity appealed to him”.
Boxer Jack Johnson was posthumously pardoned by Trump last month, after a lobbying effort by Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone.
-
A whole new world: redrawing the Mercator mapUnder the Radar African Union joins calls to ditch 'colonial distortion' and portray countries at more accurate size
-
'Enforcement of rulings remains spotty at best'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Book reviews: 'King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution' and 'Gwyneth: The Biography'Feature How the Iranian Revolution began and Gwyneth Paltrow's life in the spotlight
-
Judges: Threatened for ruling against TrumpFeature Threats against federal judges across the U.S. have surged since Donald Trump took office
-
The census: Why Trump wants a new oneFeature Donald Trump is pushing for a 'Trumpified census' that excludes undocumented immigrants
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summitSpeed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'
-
Trump extends power with D.C. police takeoverFeature Donald Trump deploys 500 law enforcement officers and 800 National Guard members to fight crime in Washington, D.C.
-
DC protests as Trump deployment ramps upSpeed Read Trump's 'crusade against crime' is targeting immigrants and the homeless
-
Ukraine, European leaders to meet Trump after Putin talksSpeed Read Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week
-
Trump and Modi: the end of a beautiful friendship?In the Spotlight Harsh US tariffs designed to wrest concessions from Delhi have been condemned as 'a new form of imperialism'
-
Man charged for hoagie attack as DC fights takeoverSpeed Read The Trump administration filed felony charges against a man who threw a Subway sandwich at a federal agent
