the public remains divided whether hearst was the victim of brainwashing or a willing participant. >> she was on the run for a year and a half with many opportunities to leave and escape. and she didn't. >> reporter: yet she would serve just under two years in prison before president carter commuted her sentence in 1979. >> is there any doubt that none of this would have happened if she hadn't been kidnapped. >> reporter: after hearst was released, she married the nan tasked with protecting her during her trial. president clinton issued her a full pardon in 2001. >> that was laura jarrett reporting. and cnn has repeatedly reached out to patty hearst. she declined to comment for this series. all right, reality tv propelled donald trump to superstardom. it did the same for a former white house staffer who has returned to her roots of reality tv. that's the subject of this week's state of the cartoonian. >> she brought even more reality