Trump says Alice Johnson will be his 'pardon czar'

President Trump said Thursday he was making Alice Johnson, whose sentence he commuted during his first term, his "pardon czar" to make recommendations about who should receive clemency.

Trump made the announcement during a Black History Month event at the White House.

"You’ve been an inspiration to people, and we’re going to be listening to your recommendations on pardons," Trump said of Johnson, who was in the room.

"You’re going to go over and you’re going to be — she’s going to be my pardon czar. And you’re going to find people just like you that this should not have happened."

Johnson had been sentenced to life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense. Trump commuted her sentence in 2018 after Johnson's case was brought to his attention by Kim Kardashian. She was later featured in a Trump campaign ad that aired during the Super Bowl in 2020.

The New York Times first reported that Trump was considering the role of "pardon czar" for Johnson.

Trump has so far doled out some controversial pardons since taking office last month, including pardons for nearly all Jan. 6 defendants and a pardon for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who had been convicted on corruption charges.

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