(CNN) President Donald Trump's grant of clemency Wednesday to Alice Marie Johnson, a first-time, nonviolent offender serving a life sentence on drug-related charges was hailed by Johnson's backers, including Kim Kardashian West, the reality TV star and wife of Kanye West, who has said some nice things about Trump recently.

But Trump's act of generosity toward Johnson was at odds with his repeated demonization of drug offenders and his administration's promise to enforce strict punitive measures for those crimes. It also came amid a stalled effort on Capitol Hill to enact a new criminal justice reform bill without meaningful changes to federal sentencing rules . The White House has backed a House bill that does not reform sentencing rules.

Johnson was sentenced to life in federal prison without parole in 1996 after being convicted on charges of conspiracy to possess cocaine, attempted possession of cocaine, and money laundering. The 63-year-old spent 21 years in an Alabama prison before Trump commuted her sentence, citing her good behavior and rehabilitation.

"While this administration will always be very tough on crime, it believes that those who have paid their debt to society and worked hard to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance," a statement from the White House said.

However, the Trump administration's policies so far have veered from the idea of a second chance in favor of a more retributive approach.

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