Trump Pardons Black Drug Offender Who Praised Him...Criticism of Abuse of Power

U.S. President Donald Trump is inspecting the podium at the White House South Lawn, where the final day event of the Republican National Convention will be held on the 27th (local time). (Washington Reuters=Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] U.S. President Donald Trump fully pardoned and restored the rights of a Black drug offender who spoke on his behalf at the Republican National Convention.

According to the White House, President Trump granted a full pardon to Alice Marie Johnson on the 28th (local time) in his office. The pardon came just one day after Johnson praised President Trump in a speech at the Republican National Convention the previous day.

At the convention, Johnson said, "One can say that if you commit a crime, you must serve time," but added, "However, the sentence must be just and fair." She emphasized, "When President Trump heard my unjust story, he treated me as a person and acted with compassion," and "Thanks to God's grace and President Trump's compassion, I stand before you tonight."

At the announcement of Johnson's pardon, President Trump said, "Seeing him in the audience the night before, I asked those around me if I could bring him over," and added, "He has done amazing things since his release."

Johnson, a Black woman, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1996 for drug trafficking and money laundering. Since she was a first-time offender and did not commit violence during the crime, there were criticisms that the sentence was excessive.

In 2018, famous celebrity Kim Kardashian personally requested President Trump to release Johnson, and President Trump accepted the request and immediately commuted her sentence for release. After completing her sentence, Johnson is currently active as a criminal justice reform activist. With this full pardon, she has regained some civil rights that had been restricted, such as voting rights and the right to serve on a jury.

This pardon has drawn criticism that the president is abusing his authority for political events. The New York Times (NYT) pointed out, "There are criticisms that President Trump shamelessly uses his presidential powers for party political events."

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