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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World

Woman granted clemency after Kim Kardashian campaigned will be among guests at State of the Union address

Alice Marie Johnson is serving a life sentence for drug offences (Picture: Change,org)

A woman who was released from prison following a campaign by reality star Kim Kardashian is among the guests at the President’s State of the Union address at the White House.

Ahead of Mr Trump’s speech on Tuesday, the White House released the list of those attending and said they “represent the very best of America”.

Alice Johnson, who was granted clemency by the US President, was one of those invited.

Ms Johnson had been serving a life sentence without parole for charges associated with a non-violent drug case. Her case came into public discussion after a publicised meeting between the president and reality star Kim Kardashian at the White House last year.

Freed: Alice Johnson is seen sprinting into the arms of her waiting family (© WVTM13)

A survivor of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, in Pitsburgh, will also attend the event.

Judah Samet, a Holocaust survivor, was one of the few people to survive the horrific shooting, which killed 11 members of his community.

Mr Samet moved to the United States in the 1960s (The White House )

As well as Mr Samet, a police officer who was one of the first responders to the shooting attended.

Timothy Matson suffered “multiple gunshot wounds” during the attack, the White House said.

Mr Matson joined the Pittsburgh Police Department in 2005 and made the SWAT team in 2016 (The White House)

A schoolboy who was bullied for sharing the same name as Mr Trump is also one of those invited along.

Joshua Trump, 11, a student in Wilmington, Delaware, faced a hard time at school “due to his last name”, the White House said.

The youngster is not related to the US President, despite sharing the same last name.

Joshua Trump was bullied for having the same name as the president (White House)

Joshua’s parents, Megan Trump and Bobby Berto, said the sixth grade student was called names in school after Mr Trump announced he was running for office, in 2015.

They told ABC affiliate WPVI things got so bad that Joshua was pulled out of school and they began to home-school him for one year.

His mother, Ms Trump said: “He said he hates himself, and he hates his last name, and he feels sad all the time, and he doesn't want to live feeling like that anymore.”

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