Trump Appoints Alice Marie Johnson as ‘Pardon Czar’ During Black History Month Celebration – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
10:12 AM – Friday, February 21, 2025
President Donald Trump has appointed Alice Marie Johnson, a woman he pardoned during his first term, as his “pardon czar.”
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The announcement for Johnson was made during a Black History Month event held at the White House on Thursday.
“Alice was incarcerated for something that likely wouldn’t even be prosecuted today,” Trump remarked at the White House event honoring Black History Month.
“She spent 22 years in prison—22 years! She had another 22 years remaining. Can you believe it? And I pardoned her; it was one of the best pardons,” he told the audience, which included Johnson.
The newly appointed “pardon czar” will primarily be tasked with advising the president on individuals deserving of clemency and the reasoning behind those recommendations.
The New York Times first reported on Trump’s consideration of naming Johnson to this role.
At the time of her arrest, Johnson was a single mother of five. She had been convicted of nonviolent drug trafficking in Memphis, Tennessee, and after serving 21 years, Trump commuted her life sentence.
In a 2017 interview, Johnson shared that she entered the drug trade following the loss of her ten-year job at FedEx due to a gambling addiction. This period was further complicated by a divorce and the tragic death of her youngest son in a motorcycle accident. After declaring bankruptcy in 1991, she lost her home to foreclosure.
She was apprehended in 1993 and subsequently convicted of drug conspiracy and money laundering in 1996.
“In the 1990s, I was a single mother facing the loss of my home,” Johnson reflected in a Fox News Digital opinion piece. “In a moment of desperation, I made a regrettable decision to become a minor participant in a drug operation. When law enforcement dismantled the operation, I was prosecuted and sentenced to a life term.”
While Johnson insists she never “touched, saw, or sold a single drug,” she admits to assisting in the communication between drug dealers and their customers.
During her incarceration, she contributed to the prison hospice, volunteered for church services, became an ordained minister, and even wrote and directed theatrical productions.
After being pardoned by the 47th president, she remained under federal oversight for five years.
Her advocacy for criminal justice reform led to the establishment of “Taking Action For Good,” which supported clemency and pardons for over 100 individuals.
She also authored a book and collaborated with the philanthropic group “Stand Together,” described on its website as assisting “America’s most daring changemakers in addressing the underlying causes of our country’s significant challenges.”
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