Trump gives full pardon to Alice Johnson after former inmate praised him in RNC speech

Donald Trump has given Alice Johnson a full pardon just one day after the former inmate praised the president at the Republican National Convention.

The pardon was announced on Friday afternoon in the Oval Office with Ms Johnson and reporters present.

“We’re giving Alice a full pardon ... We are going to do it right now,” Mr Trump said.

“That means you can do whatever you want in life and just keep doing the great job you’re doing,” he added. “Alice has been doing an incredible job since she’s got out.”

This comes two years after Mr Trump commuted Ms Johnson’s prison sentence. At the time, Ms Johnson had already served 21 years of a life sentence after she was convicted of charges of conspiracy to possess cocaine and attempted possession of cocaine.

Kim Kardashian West took on Ms Johnson’s story and met with Mr Trump in the Oval Office in 2018 to implore the president to commute the inmate’s sentence. One week after the Oval Office meeting, Mr Trump announced that he would commute Ms Johnson’s sentence and she was released from prison.

Ms Johnson, who has since become a criminal justice reform advocate, spoke on the final night of the Republican National Convention.

During her speech, she told her story of her release from prison.

“I was once told that the only way I would ever be reunited with my family would be as a corpse,” MS Johnson said. “But by the grace of God and the compassion of President Donald John Trump, I stand before you tonight, and I assure you, I’m not a ghost."

“When President Trump heard about me – about the injustice of my story – he saw me as a person. He had compassion. And he acted,” she added.

The 63-year-old went on to praise the president for signing the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice bill, into law six months after he commuted her sentence.

The law gave federal judges more leeway when sentencing certain drug offenders while also boosting prisoner rehabilitation efforts. It also reduced life sentences for some drug offenders with three convictions, or “three strikes”, to 25 years.

Other provision included in the law were incentives given to prisoners who participated in reform programs and expanding eligibility for elderly and terminally-ill prisoners to secure compassionate release.

When mentioning the law during her RNC speech, Ms Johnson called it “real justice reform”.

“It brought joy, hope, and freedom to thousands of well-deserving people,” she said. “Imagine getting to hug your loved ones again. It’s a feeling I will never forget.”

"And to think, this first step meant so much to so many. I can’t wait because we’re just getting started,” she added.

The pardon on Friday was a surprise event not listed on then president's calender. It was also the second pardon he issued this week.

Jon Ponder, who was convicted of robbing a bank, was given a pardon on Tuesday, After his time in prison, the man created a reintegration program for former inmates.