Alice Johnson praised Donald Trump as a decisive leader who freed her because it was the ‘right thing’, not for political gain.
The U.S. President commuted the 63-year-old grandmother’s life sentence after Kim Kardashian went to him with her story and asked for her release.
Reunited with her family in Memphis after 22 years, Ms Johnson said President Trump was persuaded by his moral compass.
Alice Johnson praised Donald Trump as a decisive leader who freed her because it was the ‘right thing’, not for political gain
Reality star Kim Kardashian met with President Trump in the Oval Office in May to plead for a pardon for Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old grandmother
‘I don’t believe it’s an attempt to get the black vote. He does what he feels is the right thing to do, regardless of what people think,’ she told Good Morning Britain.
She praised his ‘courage’ in commuting her sentence without considering the political downside of releasing a convicted drug trafficker.
‘He carefully reviewed my case and made a decision on the merits of my case and not on the opinion of critics,’ she said.
‘There could have been anyone else he could have granted clemency to. I’m glad he had the courage to look past what the critics would say.’
Ms Johnson praised President Trump’s leadership more generally, saying she was a fan of how he was leading the country with a decisive hand.
Johnson was filmed running into the arms of her waiting family on Wednesday after spending 22 years behind bars when Trump granted her freedom
‘As a President I like the fact that Trump is not swayed by the opinions of others and that has been a good thing for this country,’ she said.
‘Indecision is a terrible thing as a leader of this country so I’m so happy that he’s a man who makes up his mind to do something and does it.’
Ms Johnson had more kind words for Kardashian too, as it was her intervention that convinced President Trump to grant her release.
‘Kim is an amazing women and I tell you that what, she’s doing is from her heart. She’s making a difference and it’s starting with me,’ she said.
‘Kim has a passion for this. She went beyond what critics thought it was and did what she thought was the right thing to do and I’m forever grateful for her.
‘It is an amazing feeling, I never expected to be sitting her as a free woman. Just the thought of that moment brings me to tears again, it was the most incredible moment of my life.’
The 63-year-old grandmother sat next to her 45-year-old daughter Catina Scales (right), who she has been separated from for the past 22 years
One of the first things Ms Johnson did after her release was to buy an iPhone X, though she was struggling to operate it as she went to jail well before smartphones.
After losing her job and having to file for bankruptcy as a single mother in the 90s, Johnson became involved in a drug syndicate that imported cocaine to Memphis.
She was arrested along with 15 others in 1993 on charges including conspiracy to possess cocaine, attempted possession of cocaine and money laundering.
While admitting to acting as a middle man for the drug traffickers, Johnson claims she never directly sold drugs.
Nonetheless, 10 of her alleged co-conspirators turned against her in exchange for reduced sentencing or dropped charges and Johnson was sent to jail for life.