WASHINGTON, May 31:Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West paid a visit to the White House today to make a star-powered case to President Donald Trump and his staff on behalf of a woman serving a life sentence for drug offences.
Kardashian West has been urging the president to pardon Alice Marie Johnson, 63, who has spent more than two decades behind bars and is not eligible for parole.
It had been unclear whether the socialite would have the chance to sit down with Trump while she was in Washington, but Trump confirmed the meeting — as he often does — via Twitter, writing, “Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing.”
He included a picture of the two in the Oval Office — Trump seated behind his desk and Kardashian West, dressed in all-black, standing to his right.
Kardashian West arrived at the White House just after 4:30 pm for what was expected to be a meeting with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, who is overseeing the administration’s push to overhaul the nation’s prison system. She appeared to preview the visit on her Twitter feed, writing: “Happy Birthday Alice Marie Johnson. Today is for you.”
A rare A-list celebrity to visit the White House since Trump took office, Kardashian West was seen posing for photos in front of the West Wing before entering.
Attorney Brittany K. Barnett, a member of Johnson’s legal team, said Kardashian West had hoped to discuss the issue with Trump directly.
In an interview with Mic released earlier this month, Kardashian West said she’d been moved by Johnson’s story after seeing a video by the news outlet on Twitter.
“I think that she really deserves a second chance at life,” Kardashian told Mic. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get her out.”
Kardashian West said in the interview she’d been in touch with Kushner over the case and that, if she had the chance to bring it up with Trump, she’d tell him, “I really do believe that she’s going to really thrive outside of prison, and I would just urge him to please pardon her.”
Trump last week granted a rare posthumous pardon to boxing’s first black heavyweight champion, clearing Jack Johnson’s name more than 100 years after what many saw as a racially charged conviction.
The boxer’s pardon had been championed by actor Sylvester Stallone, who Trump said had brought the story to his attention in a phone call.
Trump has issued just a handful of pardons, including one for former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a staunch campaign supporter; one for Scooter Libby, who served as chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney; and one for a US Navy sailor convicted of taking photos of classified portions of a submarine.
Kardashian West supported Trump’s rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, during the 2016 election. But her husband, rapper Kanye West, recently offered his support for Trump in a series of tweets, saying they both share “dragon energy.” Kardashian West defended her husband when he caught flak on social media for his tweets. (AGENCIES)
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