Woman thanks Trump for release from prison
A WOMAN whose life sentence for drug offence was commuted by US president Donald Trump has thanked him for “having mercy” and said reality TV star Kim Kardashian West saved her life.
After flexing his clemency powers once again, Mr Trump tweeted: “Good luck to Alice Johnson. Have a wonderful life!”
And “BEST NEWS EVER !!!! ” was the exuberant Twitter response from Kardashian West, who visited the White House last week to press the case.
Johnson, 63, spent more than two decades serving life without parole.
She was released hours after the White House announced that Mr Trump had commuted her sentence, running to greet her family with her arms open wide for a group hug outside the federal prison in Aliceville, Alabama.
Yesterday morning, she saw her first sunrise in years at home in Memphis, Tennessee.
“I’d like to say, President Trump, thank you for having mercy upon me. Thank you for taking the time to look at my case, and feel like I deserve a second chance in life. I promise I will not let you down,” Johnson said in an Associated Press interview.
As for Kardashian West, Johnson said: “Kim, I love you. Thank you. You have literally saved my life. I’ll never forget what you have done, not only for me, but for my family.”
Johnson has a job lined up as an administrative assistant in a dental office, but she said she will keep pushing for sentencing reform for non-violent first-time offenders who do not pose a threat to their communities.
Mr Trump’s decision, his latest inspired by a celebrity champion, comes amid a flurry of recent pardons he has issued.
He said he is considering a long list of other clemency actions, including former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who is serving 14 years in prison for corruption, and celebrity homemaker Martha Stewart, who served about five months on charges connected to an insider trading case.