Kim Kardashian will be joining Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Thursday for a roundtable discussion on pardons issued by President Joe Biden earlier this month. Kardashian, known for her advocacy for criminal justice reform, has previously met with former President Donald Trump at the White House to push for reform in the justice system.
In 2018, Kardashian met with Trump in the Oval Office alongside Alice Marie Johnson, whose life sentence was commuted by Trump following Kardashian's advocacy efforts. She also delivered remarks from the White House East Room in 2019 on an initiative to help former inmates secure jobs after prison. Kardashian's advocacy played a role in influencing Trump to support criminal justice reform, leading to the passage of the First Step Act in 2018.
Her visit coincides with Armenian Remembrance Day, a significant event for Kardashian as she is of Armenian descent. President Biden recently recognized the Armenian genocide, making him the first US president to do so. Kardashian has been vocal about the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, urging Biden to intervene.
The meeting at the White House comes during 'Second Chance Month,' a time when the Biden administration aims to improve the criminal justice system to provide opportunities for individuals reentering society from incarceration. As part of this initiative, Biden announced clemency actions for 16 nonviolent drug offenders, pardoning 11 and commuting the sentences of five others.
During the roundtable, Vice President Harris will announce a Small Business Administration rule that removes loan eligibility restrictions based on a borrower's criminal record. Four of the pardon recipients will also participate in the discussion, moderated by White House Director of Public Engagement Steve Benjamin.
