Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) celebrated President Trump’s posthumous pardon of black boxing legend Jack Johnson on Thursday, saying that it “closes a shameful chapter in our nation’s history.”
“For years, Congress has overwhelmingly supported legislation calling on multiple U.S. presidents to right this historical wrong and restore this great athlete’s legacy,” McCain said in a statement.
“President Trump’s action today finally closes a shameful chapter in our nation’s history and marks a milestone that the American people can and should be proud of,” he continued. McCain has often been a critic of Trump on other policy actions.
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McCain has long lobbied for a pardon for Johnson, who was convicted by an all-white jury in 1913 for transporting a woman across state lines for “immoral purposes,” which was then illegal under the Mann Act.
The senator first introduced legislation urging a pardon for Johnson in 2004, arguing that the conviction was racially motivated and has unfairly tarnished the heavyweight champion’s legacy.
Both the House and Senate passed resolutions calling for Johnson’s pardon, but then-President Obama did not approve the measure.
Trump issued the pardon earlier Thursday, saying during an Oval Office ceremony that Johnson was “very worthy” of a full pardon.
“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,” Trump said.
Actor Sylvester Stallone and past heavyweight champions like Lennox Lewis and Deontay Wilder also attended the event.
Trump first tweeted that he was considering the pardon last month, after Stallone called him about Johnson.