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Did Alice Johnson forget Kim Kardashian? Internet fumes as she thanks Trump at RNC for pardoning prison sentence

Alice Johnson was pardoned by President Trump in 2018 after reality TV star Kim Kardashian had lobbied about her case

Alice Marie Johnson, a woman whose life sentence in prison was pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2018, was one of the speakers during the Republican National Convention 2020 on Thursday, August 27. This decision was taken in June 2018 after reality TV star Kim Kardashian had lobbied about the case. According to the New York Post, in 1996, Johnson was charged with five concurrent life sentences without parole on a first-time non-violent drug charge for her involvement in a million-dollar cocaine ring.

After the decision, Kardashian had expressed her gratitude on Twitter by saying, “So grateful to @realDonaldTrump, Jared Kushner & to everyone who has showed compassion & contributed countless hours to this important moment for Ms. Alice Marie Johnson. Her commutation is inspirational & gives hope to so many others who are also deserving of a second chance.”

During her speech on August 27, Johnson said, “I was once told that the only way I would be reunited with my family as a corpse. But by the grace of God and the love and compassion of President Donald John Trump, I stand before you tonight and I assure you, I am not a ghost. I am alive, I am whole and most importantly, I am free.”

She continued, “What I did was wrong, I made decisions that I regret. Some say you do the crime, you do the time. However, that time should be fair and just. We all make mistakes — none of us want to be defined forever based on our worst decision.” During her time in prison, Johnson said she became a playwright, a mentor, a certified hospice volunteer, an ordained minister, and received a Special Olympics Event Coordinator of the year award for her work with disabled women. She said, “My transformation was described as extraordinary.” She further said, “When President Trump heard about me and the injustice of my story, he saw me as a person. He had compassion. And he acted.”

Months later, after her release, Trump had signed the First Step Act, a criminal justice legislation that was one of the few bills to be passed with bipartisan support, as per CNN. Talking about that she said, “It was real justice reform. And it brought joy, hope and freedom to thousands of well-deserving people. I hollered, ‘Hallelujah!’ My faith in justice and mercy was rewarded. 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.” She concluded her speech by saying, “The nearly 22 years I spent in prison were not wasted. God had a purpose and plan for my life. I was not delayed or denied, I was destined for such a time as this.”

Her speech was discussed on Twitter as many felt that even though she thanked Trump, she should also have mentioned Kardashian. One user said, "Never thought I'd defend Kim Kardashian but she should have at least been given a shout-out for Alice Johnson being released. Trump: "Kim who?"

Another said, "What happened to the appreciative shout out to Kim Kardashian? "

Another said, "How convenient that neither America’s lawyer Kim Kardashian West nor her “apprentice” Van Jones get a shout out in Alice Marie Johnson’s speech. Also, how does criminal justice reform reconcile with the Republican refrain of law and order and police hagiography? How very."

One user said, "No shout-out to Kim Kardashian from Alice Johnson? #RNC2020"

One commented, "Alice Johnson not acknowledging what Kim Kardashian did for her is plain wrong."

However, other users had a different take on it. One said, "Another recipient of a Trump pardon care of Kim Kardashian. She's turned things'around. But he did it for his ego of course. He doesn't really care."

Another commented, "Kim Kardashian based criminal justice favoritism isn’t reform."

Another stated, "I understand the gratitude of people like Alice Johnson but prison commutation done as a favor to Kim Kardashian is hardly criminal justice reform. Trump is running a monarchy court where only those who have the president's ear get any justice. #RNC2020"

One stated, "Kim Kardashian could have helped any Black person get released from prison, but just happened to help a Black woman who was willing to speak at the #RepublicanNationalChaos?"