Former Prisoner Appointed President’s Pardon “Czar”
On February 20, 2025, Pres. Donald J. Trump (R) appointed former prisoner Alice Marie Johnson, 69, to serve as his pardon “czar,” making recommendations of federal prisoners that he may consider for clemency. Though not an official cabinet position in the President’s administration, Johnson’s job will pay a government salary estimated at $100,000 to $150,000 annually.
Johnson served 20 years of a life sentence in custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for nonviolent 1996 drug convictions before a 2017 video about the prisoner caught the attention of reality TV star Kim Kardashian. She began advocating for clemency for Johnson, whose sentence Trump commuted in June 2018, during his first term in the White House. The President later issued Johnson a full pardon in August 2020, less than three months before losing his reelection bid to former Pres. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D).
After returning to office in early 2025, Trump created the position and decided to tap Johnson for it. However, by that time he had already issued full pardons to some 1,500 current and former federal prisoners and parolees convicted of attempting to disrupt certification of Biden’s victory with an attack on the United States Capitol in January 2021.
Johnson said that her recommendations for clemencies will be guided by concerns for “safety in the communities” where prisoners may be released, as well as giving them support needed to have “their best chance at success,” including check-ins with probation and mental health workers. The federal Bureau of Prisons is chronically understaffed at both positions.
The new “czar” also promised to work with Pastor Paula White Cain, a Florida mega-church leader who is involved in Trump’s “Faith Office” promoting Christianity and searching for anti-Christian bias in federal agencies. She came under heavy criticism from fellow Christian leaders for a March 2025 sermon in which she solicited donations with promises of gifts like a “Holy Land Communion Set” and a “beautiful 10-inch Waterford Crystal Cross.”
Sources: NPR News, Newsweek
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login