"Congratulations," Pres. Trump tells Sylvester Stallone, former heavyweight boxer Lennox Lewis, and more as he signs pardon of Jack Johnson in the Oval Office.
"You all fought very, very hard to get this done, so it's my honor to do it. It's about time." https://t.co/mXAcAJ5hZg pic.twitter.com/EhkQxODW7x
— ABC News (@ABC) May 24, 2018
Via Daily Caller:
President Donald Trump sparred with longtime friend Sylvester Stallone at the White House Thursday.
Stallone was at the White House to witness the pardon the first black heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson.
Jack Johnson was convicted of transporting a white woman across state lines for immoral purposes in 1931, violating the Mann Act. The posthumous pardon was granted by Trump in the Oval Office as the president was surrounded by boxing champions and family members of Johnson.
Trump said “I am taking this very righteous step, I believe, to correct a wrong that occurred in our history, and to honor a truly legendary boxing champion, legendary athlete and a person that, when people got to know him, they really liked him and they really thought he was treated unfairly.”
In the remarks, Trump turned to Stallone to compliment him on pushing for the pardon over many years.
Sylvester Stallone thanks Pres. Trump for posthumous pardon of late boxer Jack Johnson.
"This has been a long time coming." https://t.co/L6JZXwwHlP pic.twitter.com/kxSkAl22rf
— ABC News (@ABC) May 24, 2018