President Donald Trump on Wednesday pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
He made the announcement on Twitter, writing, “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!”
Flynn pleaded guilty in late 2017 to lying to the FBI about conversations with Russian ambassadors.
Flynn later claimed he was entrapped into the guilty plea and the investigation has continued, despite Trump’s public urging for it to stop.
The president has long defended Flynn, saying on Twitter in 2017, “I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!”
After pleading guilty to lying, Flynn promised full cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller, who was overseeing the Russia investigation at the time.
Flynn has not spoken publicly since Trump’s pardon announcement, but the president was reported to be considering it Tuesday night. Wednesday afternoon, Flynn did tweet a reference to a Bible verse that says, “‘They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.”