Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election, has received a full pardon from President Donald Trump. Although the pardon was expected, it received strong criticism from the Democrats, but the president isn't planning to stop just at pardoning his former national security adviser.
Taking to his Twitter account on Nov. 26, Trump announced that General Michael T. Flynn had been granted a full pardon. He congratulated Flynn and his family, noting that he knows they will have a great Thanksgiving after this announcement.
The pardon comes as Trump spends his last few days at the White House before the incoming administration takes office. It is worth mentioning here that the president might still change his mind on the recently announced pardon, which is part of a myriad of other planned pardons he is currently considering, a source told Axios.
The Flynn case has been one of the biggest scandals of Trump's presidency and U.S. Attorney General William Barr's leadership of the Justice Department. Despite his guilty pleas, the Justice Department dismissed the criminal charges in May, triggering criticism from Democrats who accused Barr of making this move to appease Trump.
As the federal judge presided over the case, the request to dismiss Michael Flynn's case was put on hold. While a Justice Department official argued that Trump's action represented an appropriate use of the president's pardon power, but noted that he did not consult with the agency about the move until the day it was announced.
The official said they would have rather allowed the matter to be resolved in court. The official went on to say that they were confident that they would win the case. According to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, Flynn did not deserve to receive the pardon and called the move unprincipled.
Nadler said Flynn's pardoning was one more stain on the president's legacy, which he noted was diminishing rapidly. He said Trump offered this pardon to make sure Flynn backtracks on his vow to cooperate with federal investigators since that might have exposed the president's own unethical behavior, NBC News reported.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said he wasn't surprised that Trump is planning to exit the same way he entered the White House, "crooked." Flynn's case has been defended by Trump's supporters, who portrayed Flynn as being pressured by the FBI and the deep state.