Image by Getty Images / Forward Montage

By Aiden Pink May 2, 2018

Kim Kardashian West has spoken several times over the past few months with White House senior advisor/son-in-law Jared Kushner about a possible presidential pardon for a great-grandmother serving a life sentence for money laundering and drug conspiracy, Mic reported Wednesday.

Alice Marie Johnson, a black woman from Mississippi who was sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for her role in a drug trafficking ring. It was Johnson’s first offense. West has publicly advocated for her and funded lawyers to advocate for her release.

Mic reported that Johnson’s case has been viewed by White House lawyers, and that conversations between Kushner and Kardashian West have “picked up in intensity over the last several days.” Johnson could likely only be freed from prison via a presidential pardon or commutation. Trump, who has promised to be tough on crime, has extended those powers only a few cases, such as with jailed kosher meat executive Sholom Rubashkin and former Dick Cheney aide Scooter Libby.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Kushner and Ivanka Trump his wife Ivanka Trump have advocated for prison sentencing reform since moving to Washington, and Kushner, whose father served 14 months in federal prison, has reportedly been working to pass a bipartisan bill reforming prison sentencing and training programs.

Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount