Alice Johnson to Address Republican National Convention

Criminal justice reform activist Alice Johnson, whose life sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump, has been scheduled to address viewers of the Republican National Convention next week.

In a phone call with the Daily Beast on Tuesday, Johnson confirmed that she would be a featured speaker for the virtual Republican convention.

“I’ll be there talking about criminal justice reform, that is my main mission,” Johnson said. “I’m there because I’ve been affected by our criminal justice system, and that’s my mission.”

After a visit from Kim Kardashian at the White House in 2018, President Trump commuted the prison sentence of Johnson, a 65-year-old great-grandmother who was serving life without parole on drug charges. Upon her release from Aliceville Federal Correctional Institution, Johnson had served 21 years of the sentence.

“I left so many people behind, and I made a promise to the women there that I would fight for this wherever and whenever I can,” Johnson told the Daily Beast.

In February, an ad was featured during the Super Bowl by the Trump campaign that highlighted Johnson’s story and progress.

“Alice Johnson was sentenced to serve life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense,” the video’s subtitle stated. “Thanks to President Trump, people like Alice are getting a second chance.”

Also in February, during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., Johnson offered praise for President Trump.

“My life has been totally changed by President Trump,” she said. “I became a face of compassion, of redemption, of grace, and of second chances, because that is what this country has been built upon.”