President Donald Trump pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, ending a years long prosecution in the Russia investigation that saw Flynn twice plead guilty to lying to the FBI and then reverse himself before the Justice Department stepped in to dismiss his case, reported The Associated Press.
“It is my Great Honor to announce that General
Michael T. Flynn has been granted a Full Pardon,” Trump tweeted.
“Congratulations to @GenFlynn and his wonderful family, I know you will now
have a truly fantastic Thanksgiving!”
The pardon, in the waning weeks of Trump’s single
term, is part of a broader effort by Trump to undo the results of a Russia
investigation that shadowed his administration and yielded criminal charges
against a half-dozen associates. It comes just months after the president
commuted the sentence of another associate, Roger Stone, days before he was to
report to prison.
A Justice Department official said the department
was not consulted on the pardon and learned Wednesday of the plan. But the official,
who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, noted
that the president has the legal power to pardon Flynn.
The move is likely to energize supporters who have
taken up Flynn as a cause celebre and rallied around the retired Army
lieutenant general as the victim of what they assert is an unfair prosecution,
even though Flynn twice admitted guilt. Trump has repeatedly spoken warmly
about Flynn and, in an indication of his personal interest in his fate, asked
then-FBI Director James Comey in February 2017 to end a
criminal investigation into the national security adviser.
In a statement, Flynn’s family thanked Trump “for
answering our prayers and the prayers of a nation” by issuing the pardon.
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