Trump Announces He’s Considering a Full Pardon for Former Boxing Champ Jack Johnson

President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that he is thinking about giving a full posthumous pardon to boxing champion Jack Johnson.

Sylvester Stallone called me with the story of heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson. His trials and tribulations were great, his life complex and controversial. Others have looked at this over the years, most thought it would be done, but yes, I am considering a Full Pardon!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2018

Johnson, a former heavyweight champion, was arrested in 1912 on suspicion of violating the Mann Act — which forbid people from transporting women across state lines for “immoral purposes.” Johnson, an African American, was traveling with his girlfriend, who was white, and interracial relationships were illegal during the Jim Crow era.

The boxer was eventually found guilty by an all-white jury. The arrest and conviction has been historically regarded as racially-motivated.

Trump says he was prompted to pardon Johnson after receiving a call from Sylvester Stallone. This comes shortly after the president issued a pardon for Scooter Libby — the former Dick Cheney official who was convicted for perjury and obstruction of justice in 2007.

[Image via screengrab]

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