Trump commutes prisoner’s term

Decision follows in-person plea last week from Kardashian West

WASHINGTON — Flexing his clemency powers once again, President Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the life sentence of a woman whose cause was championed by reality TV star Kim Kardashian West.

“BEST NEWS EVER !!!! ” was the exuberant Twitter response from Kardashian West, who visited the White House last week to press the case.

Alice Marie Johnson, 63, had spent more than two decades behind bars, serving life without parole for drug offenses. She was released hours after the White House announcement and ran into her family members’ arms.

Michael Scholl, a member of Johnson’s legal team, said she was released just before 6 p.m. from federal prison in Aliceville, Alabama. Footage from local news station WVTM-13 showed Johnson running toward her family, throwing her arms wide-open and embracing them in front of a crowd of onlookers.

“Everybody was crying and hugging,” Scholl said.

“I’m just so thankful. I feel like my life is starting over again,” Johnson said moments after her release, thanking Trump and calling Kardashian West an “angel.”

Unlike a pardon, the commutation will not erase Johnson’s conviction, only end her sentence.

Trump’s decision comes amid a flurry of recent pardons issued by the president. He says he’s considering a long list of other clemency actions, including former Illinois Gov. 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.