Kim Kardashian to Attend White House Roundtable on Criminal Justice Reform

Kim Kardashian will be at the White House on Thursday to join Vice President Kamala Harris for a roundtable discussion. They will talk about the pardons issued by President Joe Biden earlier this month, as confirmed by a White House official.

Kim Kardashian has been actively involved in advocating for criminal justice reform. She previously met with former President Donald Trump at the White House. In 2018, she, along with Alice Marie Johnson, had a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office. Alice Marie Johnson's life sentence was commuted by Trump in 2018 following Kardashian's advocacy efforts. In 2019, Kardashian spoke at the White House East Room about an initiative to help former inmates secure employment upon release. She also had another meeting with Trump at the White House in 2020.

Kardashian's support played a role in influencing the former president's stance on criminal justice reform, which resulted in the passing of the First Step Act in 2018. This bipartisan law was a significant achievement during Trump's time in office, earning praise even from those who typically disagreed with him.

The news of Kardashian's visit to the White House was first reported by Axios.

Her visit comes shortly after ****Armenian Remembrance Day. Kardashian, who is of ****Armenian descent, visited Biden. In 2021, Biden made history by being the first US president to officially acknowledge the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire over a hundred years ago as a genocide.

Last year, Kardashian wrote an op-ed in Rolling Stone, calling on Biden to intervene in the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Biden administration is currently observing "Second Chance Month," a time when President Biden has promised to improve the criminal justice system to give people returning from jail or prison a better chance at achieving the American Dream. This commitment was made in a presidential proclamation last month.

As part of Second Chance Month, President Biden recently took action by granting clemency to 16 nonviolent drug offenders. This included pardoning 11 individuals and commuting the sentences of five others under his authority as president.

Biden stated that many individuals received sentences much longer than they would under current laws. He commended the pardon recipients for their efforts to improve their lives and communities. The commutation recipients have proven themselves worthy of forgiveness and the opportunity to build a better future outside of prison walls.

During Thursday’s roundtable, Harris will introduce a Small Business Administration rule that removes loan eligibility restrictions based on a borrower’s criminal record. Four of the pardon recipients announced earlier will join the roundtable, moderated by White House Director of Public Engagement Steve Benjamin.

Editor's P/S:

Kim Kardashian's continued advocacy for criminal justice reform is commendable. Her efforts have brought attention to the issue and played a role in shaping policy. The pardons granted by President Biden are a step in the right direction, and the Small Business Administration rule change will help remove barriers for formerly incarcerated individuals.

It is important to recognize that the criminal justice system disproportionately affects people of color and low-income communities. Kardashian's Armenian heritage and her advocacy for genocide recognition also highlight the intersectionality of social justice issues. The Biden administration's commitment to Second Chance Month and the roundtable discussion with Harris demonstrate a willingness to address these systemic inequities and provide opportunities for redemption and rehabilitation.