Kim Kardashian West will travel to the White House late afternoon Wednesday to discuss prison reform with top presidential advisors Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. None of the three have any expertise in prison reform, social justice issues, incarceration alternatives, or the law.
In fact, despite having a reality TV show, an estimated net work of $175 million, and a huge social media platform, Kardashian West, a self-described moderate Republican, is not well-known for her advocacy work. At times she has spoken about homelessness, guns, and disaster relief for Texas and Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Harvey.
Kardashian West “plans to ask Trump to pardon a woman serving a life sentence without parole for a first-time drug offense,” a glowing Vanity Fair report states, although other media outlets say it’s unclear if she will meet with the president.
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump “plan to host Kardashian for dinner at their home after her presidential sit-down, a private evening with the most famous sibling of America’s other First Family,” the Vanity Fair article claims.
“Prison reform is an issue near and dear to Kushner,” however, Vanity Fair notes, saying his “father, Charles, spent more than a year in a federal prison camp in 2005 and 2006 on charges of tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions, and witness tampering. The experience left an indelible mark on the young Kushner who, for years, carried a wallet his father made for him in prison; when he joined the White House as senior adviser, he vowed to help improve the system that his father had come through.”
Kushner’s father, a felon, was brought to justice by then-federal prosecutor Chris Christie.
It’s not clear if any actual prison reform experts will attend Wednesday’s meeting or dinner party.
Image by Eva Rinaldi via Flickr and a CC license