After Kardashian talk, Trump commutes drug offender’s term

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump commuted the sentence Wednesday of a woman serving a life sentence for drug offenses whose cause was championed by reality TV star Kim Kardashian West in a recent visit to the White House.

“BEST NEWS EVER !!!! ” was the Twitter response from Kardashian West.

Alice Marie Johnson, 63, has spent more than two decades behind bars and was not eligible for parole.

Trump’s decision comes amid a recent flurry of pardons issued by the president, who has seemed drawn to causes advocated by conservatives, celebrities or those who once appeared on his former reality show, “The Apprentice.” This use of executive power is taking place against the backdrop of the Russia investigation that hangs over his presidency.

The White House said Johnson “has accepted responsibility for her past behavior” and has been a model prisoner, working hard to rehabilitate herself and serve as a mentor to fellow inmates. It said that Johnson’s warden, case manager, and vocational training instructor had written letters in support of her clemency.

“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,” according to a statement from the office of White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Kardashian West expressed gratitude “to everyone who has showed compassion & contributed countless hours to this important moment. ... Her commutation is inspirational & gives hope to so many others who are also deserving of a second chance.”

The commutation puts a renewed focus on the Trump administration’s push for prison and sentencing changes, an effort that sometimes has clashed with the president’s law-and-order approach, especially at the Justice Department. Trump has called for getting tougher on drug dealers, including suggesting some should receive the death penalty.