but first last night we saw alice
johnson a mother and grandmother who
served 21 years
in prison as a first-time offender in a
drug case
and was one of the pres of the prisoners
i should say who was freed
by the president in the first step act
i always remembered that god knew my
name
even in my darkest hour but i never
thought a president would
today alice johnson was pardoned as well
the president's second part in this week
the first was to john ponder and another
really moving moment this week a former
convict
who spent his life turning around the
lives of others who spent time in prison
and who want to begin again here is a
moment from the oval office pardon for
alice johnson today watch this
it means you have been fully pardoned
that's the ultimate
thing that can happen that means you can
do whatever you want in life and
just keep doing the great job you're
doing we're very proud of alice and the
job you've done and
what you represent
so alice it's a full pardon it's been
signed
you might want to keep that one
and here it is
alex johnson joins me now back on the
program tonight alice
you're you spoke so powerfully
the other night and i love that quote
that we just played from you because i
just thought it was so beautiful
about god knowing your name in your
darkest moments
so here you are in the oval office today
and
pardoned so you know all of your record
is wiped clean
from that offense that sent you to
prison what was that like today
it was such a moment for me martha
because i had no
idea that when i went to the hou white
house today
that the president was going to grant me
a full
party is i feel i feel like a person
that has had
everything totally restored my
my rights to to not have to
report into a probation officer i can
travel
i can i can really live a completely
free life now
that that's an incredible feeling i'm
sure
and i think it's richly deserved you
know i love you
the moment when you hugged that pardon
in front of you you know
i thought this was um an unfortunate
thing that was written
about your appearance the other night
this was in politico
it said alice johnson a key player in
trump's criminal justice reform push
delivered her rnc address tonight she's
been propped up
as one of the most prominent
beneficiaries of the first step
act what you know propped up is um
what do you what do you make of that
language did you feel like you were like
you were a prop
in any way mrs johnson i that was
very insulting language um i was not a
recipient of the first step
act i was granted as a commutation which
is clemency
first of all by the president and mike
my computation
really helped him it triggered him to
want
to put sentencing reform in the first
step act but to address politico
to think that i can't think for myself
is a is a huge
insult to me i don't feel as if i'm
anyone's prop no one could prop me up to
do anything that i don't want to do
it was an honor for me to be there to
speak at the rnc last night
and one of the most watched uh you know
political
events in the nation and that is my
mission is criminal justice reform
why would i not want to go there why
would i
not be honored to go there and it was a
president
who gave me this second chance in life
i i'm sure so many people were inspired
by watching you
they maybe they have relatives who are
uh in prison
that you know you're going to give them
a second chance at dreaming that maybe
they can
turn things around you know last week at
the dnc
we heard from many speakers there um
that donald trump is a racist
and i i wonder what you think when you
hear
that said so often that it's sort of you
know taken for granted that it's just a
fact of truth what do you say to that
the people who are saying this don't
even know president trump
i don't believe president trump is a
racist my interactions with him
and the things that he said the things
that i know touches his heart
those things would not come from a
racist man so
people are they're free to have their
opinions
but my personal opinion i do not believe
he's a racist
well alice um we wish you well in your
work on criminal justice reform and we
hope that you will come back and be a
guest here again and talk about
the work that you're doing and we're
congratulations on your pardon today i
hope you feel as light as a feather
uh moving forward thank you for being
here
thank you so much alice enjoy your
family and your weekend