Politico raised eyebrows on Thursday night with his description of Alice Marie Johnson, who spoke at the Republican National Convention in support of President Trump after she received condolences while serving a life sentence.
Johnson, 63, was convicted in 1996 of drug collusion and money laundering, but her story caught the attention of Kim Kardashian, who met the president in the White House to plead for Johnson’s mercy. Johnson, meanwhile, is an activist for criminal law reform.
On Thursday night, Politico tweeted about her RNC speech, but one sentence stood out from the rest of the post.
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“Alice Johnson, a key player in Trump’s reform of criminal justice, provided her RNC address last night,” the tweet began. “She has been proposed as one of the most prominent beneficiaries of the terms of the First Step Act. Kim Kardashian played a role in her release from prison.”
Critics blew up the newsroom suggesting Johnson was “supported.”
“This is a disgusting racist headline,” Reagan Battalion responded.
“This headline removes Alice’s desk in a way that is extremely uncomfortable and bizarre.” tweeted Erielle Davidson, a senior policy analyst at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.
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“The bitter and desperate participation of @Politico today in full view,” tweeted Trump 2020 Advisory Board member Nan Hayworth. “Alice Johnson is not a prop. How dare you respect this great and powerful woman? You open yourself in your ridicule. How small, small and pitiful you are.”
“Tell us how you really feel about black women, why not!” GOP political analyst Melik Abdul exclaimed.
Other media have downplayed the presence of Black RNC speakers. An op-ed published in The Daily Beast on Wednesday referred to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron among others as “token minorities.”
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A piece in The Nation accused “Black tokens” in the same way by using the RNC to say “it’s OK” to accept President Trump’s racism.
MSNBC host Joy Reid endorsed that article, saying Black people “were running for office” [sic] Americans feel good about white [sic] nationalism. “
