Kim Kardashian Visits White House to Discuss Criminal Justice Reform with Vice President Kamala Harris
"I'm just here to help and spread the word."
Reality television star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian is back at the White House to continue to advocate for criminal justice reform.
On Thursday, April 25, Kardashian attended a roundtable discussion hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris and White House public engagement director Steve Benjamin to discuss ongoing efforts to reform the criminal justice system on a federal level.
The meeting marked a return to the White House for Kardashian, who visited four years ago to discuss the same topic with then-President Donald Trump.
To start the meeting, Vice President Harris thanked the reality star for her continued activism and ongoing dedication to highlighting the topic.
"I want to thank Kim for your advocacy and for using your platform in a way that has really lifted up the importance of talking about and being dedicated to second chances," Harris said.
Kim Kardashian joins Vice President Kamala Harris and Jason Hernandez during a roundtable discussion on criminal justice reform in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on April 25, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Also in attendance, as reported by Axios, were four of the 16 people previously granted clemency by President Joe Biden and his administration earlier this week.
In a 2020 interview with TIME, Kardashian opened up about the moment she realized the country's criminal justice system needed an overhaul.
In 2017, Kardashian was scrolling her X, formerly known as Twitter, feed when she came across the story of Alice Marie Johnson—a woman who received a life sentence in 1996 for working as a "phone mule" for a Memphis drug ring.
Kardashian told the publication it was a "huge eye opener," adding that it didn't make any sense to her "that someone who was a phone mule (received) a harsher sentence than Charles Manson."
"It just really broke my heart and I just wanted to help her," she said at the time. "Because I (knew) I could."
Kardashian started working with Johnson's lawyers and advocacy groups, and in 2018 successfully petitioned former President Trump to commute Johnson's sentence.
At Thursday's White House roundtable discussion, Kardashian addressed the newly-pardoned panelists, saying she was "super honored to be here to hear" their stories.
"I think it's so important to share them and amplify them because there are so many people that are in your position that could use the inspiration," she continued, according to a report from USA Today. "I'm just here to help and spread the word."
The reality star also shared how her advocacy work has inspired her to pursue her law degree.
"It was actually in this very room that I was in years ago, my first clemency meeting, that really inspired me to take a journey," Kardashian explained. "I didn't know a whole lot, and I was inspired to go to law school and really further my education to see what I can do to help."
Kim Kardashian joins Vice President Kamala Harris and Jason Hernandez during a roundtable discussion on criminal justice reform in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on April 25, 2024 in Washington, DC.
During the same discussion, Vice President Harris highlighted the need to pardon or commute incredibly harsh sentences for non-violent crimes, including marijuana charges in the wake of so may states legalizing the substance.
"For example, on marijuana, we have pardoned all people for federal convictions for simple marijuana possession," she explained, highlighting the current administration's efforts to release those imprisoned for low-level drug charges.
"Many of you have heard me say I just don't think people should have to go to jail for smoking weed," she continued. "And these pardons have been issued as an extension of that approach."
