(CNN) –– US President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that he granted “a total pardon” to the former national security adviser. Michael Flynn.
“It is a great honor for me to announce that General Michael T. Flynn received a full pardon. Congratulations to @GenFlynn and his wonderful family, I know you will now have a really fantastic Thanksgiving, “was Trump’s message.
It is my Great Honor to announce that General Michael T. Flynn has been granted a Full Pardon. Congratulations to @GenFlynn and his wonderful family, I know you will now have a truly fantastic Thanksgiving!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 25, 2020
Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser, twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. Specifically, about his conversations with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the presidential transition. Trump said in March that he was “seriously considering” pardoning Flynn. Too had told his assistants in recent days that she planned to forgive him before leaving office.
While the president has continued to falsely publicly insist that he won the presidential election in place of Joe Biden, Flynn’s pardon is a sign that Trump understands that his term is coming to an end. He is expected to issue a series of additional pardons before leaving the White House, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussion.
Flynn’s case
The mandate of Flynn in the White House lasted only a few weeks. Resigned in early 2017 after it was discovered that he lied publicly about his Russian contacts. At the time, Trump tweeted that he fired Flynn because he had lied to Vice President Mike Pence. Sources familiar with what happened also said that Flynn lied to Reince Priebus and Sean Spicer, two top Trump officials at the time.
In late 2017, he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about those contacts. However, he later denied his statement and tried to have the case dismissed. In a shocking twist this spring, the Justice Department dropped the case, which still remains in legal limbo.
Throughout the case, Flynn has avoided being sentenced, but only narrowly.
It has also become an emblem of Trump’s persistent efforts to undermine the Russia investigation and a conduit to test the separation of powers between judges and prosecutors.
To date, Trump’s record on presidential pardons has been marked by personal connections, stage mastery and an aversion to going through official government channels.
Recipients have obtained clemency by submitting their requests to Trump through friends, Fox News personalities or Hollywood celebrities who speak with the president. That unusual conduit has worked for the likes of Joe Arpaio, a former Arizona sheriff, Dinesh D’Souza, a right-wing commentator, and Michael Milken, a financier convicted of securities fraud.
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