Todd and Julie Chrisley received some big news this past week, as U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that he would pardon them years after they were found guilty of bank fraud and more. Since then, the Chrisley Knows Best stars have been released from their respective prisons and have reunited with their relatives. The person responsible for the pair’s clemency is Alice Marie Johnson, who serves as the Trump Administration’s “pardon czar.” Johnson, who’s experienced incarceration herself, now has advice for the Chrisleys.
Alice Marie Johnson was very instrumental in working towards the Chrisleys’ release. The pair’s daughter, Savannah even referred to her hiring as “the greatest appointment that President Trump could have ever done.” Following the pardon, Johnson took some time to speak with NewsNation about how everything came together. Talk eventually turned to what the Chrisleys might do now that they’re no longer behind bars. Johnson believes the couple is ready to fight for criminal justice reform, but she also provided some words of caution:
I know that they’re anxious to get out here and start fighting for the people who they left behind, too. But don’t forget about your family time. Take time to breathe and don’t get caught up in and being pulled in every different direction.
The Trump Administration appointee is well versed in the concept of having to reintegrate one’s self into society. Alice Marie Johnson was arrested in 1993 and later convicted in 1996 on several criminal counts related to her involvement in a cocaine trafficking organization in Tennessee. Johnson was eventually sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. But, in 2018, Kim Kardashian worked to have Johnson pardoned and have conversations with President Trump. In time, POTUS commuted Johnson’s sentence and granted her a full pardon.
Last February, the criminal justice reform advocate was named the “pardon czar” of the aforementioned administration. Savannah Chrisley, who’d been working towards getting her parents’ sentences overturned, has been critical of the government herself over parents’ trial. Though Alice Marie Johnson is of the opinion that Julie and Todd should take a breather for the time being, she also thinks they’ll eventually be emphatic voices for change within the prison system:
I talked to Todd yesterday in the vehicle while he was leaving prison, and that man was in tears, and we have a new advocate now. You can believe that this couple is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the criminal justice reform space.
Before being pardoned, Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years at Federal Prison Camp in Florida, while Julie was serving seven years at Lexington Medical Center in Kentucky. The two former reality TV stars couldn’t speak on camera during their incarcerations, though Todd did share statements about poor conditions in his facility. Earlier this year, the Chrisleys revealed the hope for a pardon, though President Trump wouldn’t confirm or deny he’d actually move forward with clemency.
Time will tell whether Todd and Julie Chrisley will become criminal justice activists, though what’s certainly possible is that they’ll resume their media careers. Their family has been planning a new reality TV show, and the Chrisleys’ new project was just ordered to series at Lifetime. Given it was set to heavily highlight the parents’ absences, it’s unknown as to how the show might change due to the pardons. Regardless though, if Todd and Julie heed advice, they may take some time to collect themselves before jumping into anything.
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