Kim Kardashian visits Donald Trump with women she helped free from prison
Written by News on 05/03/2020
Kim Kardashian West has visited the White House alongside three women freed from prison following her efforts to help reform the justice system in the US.
The reality TV star tweeted photographs from the visit and said she and the three women – Tynice Nichole Hall, Crystal Munoz and Judith Negron – planned to “discuss more change that our justice system desperately needs!”
President Donald Trump commuted the sentences in February, allowing early release from federal prison, and the White House shared a video of their meeting online on Wednesday.
Ms Hall, Ms Munoz and Ms Negron were non-violent federal offenders serving long sentences who had their cases championed by Alice Johnson, a great-grandmother convicted on felony drug and money laundering charges in 1996.
Kardashian West got behind Ms Johnson’s case, meeting with Mr Trump to discuss granting clemency. She was released from prison following the intervention in June 2018.
Ms Johnson said the president had asked her for a list of other women who deserved to be freed. Ms Johnson, Ms Hall and Ms Munoz had all had commutation requests denied while Barack Obama was president.
Mr Obama undertook an unprecedented effort to reduce the sentences of non-violent federal drug offenders during his presidency, releasing 1,715 prisoners – more than any other US president.
He repeatedly called on Congress to pass a broader criminal justice fix, but Republican lawmakers resisted.
However, Mr Trump was able to get more Republicans in the Senate to vote for a criminal justice bill that gives judges more discretion when sentencing some drug offenders, and has boosted prisoner rehabilitation efforts.
Ivanka Trump tweeted a photo of herself and husband Jared Kushner with the women during Wednesday’s visit, saying: “These 3 mothers were granted clemency by @realDonaldTrump last month and are already using their second chance to pay it forward!”
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Last year, Kardashian West, star of the hit show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, revealed she was studying law.
After receiving messages from online trolls mocking her efforts, she responded by saying: “I’ve seen some comments from people who are saying it’s my privilege or my money that got me here, but that’s not the case. One person actually said I should ‘stay in my lane’.
“I want people to understand that there is nothing that should limit your pursuit of your dreams, and the accomplishment of new goals. You can create your own lanes, just as I am.”
(c) Sky News 2020: Kim Kardashian visits Donald Trump with women she helped free from prison
