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UPDATE: WASHINGTON (Reuters) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn who had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
"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!," Trump said on Twitter.
This is developing news and will be updated.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — President Donald Trump has told allies he plans to pardon his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, a source familiar with the situation said on Tuesday.
Trump could still change his mind on the planned pardon, which is among a number of pardons under consideration by the Republican president, the source said. The news was first reported by Axios.
If Trump does grant a reprieve to Flynn, it would be the highest-profile pardon issued by the president since he took office.
Flynn, a retired Army general, pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about interactions he had with Russia's ambassador to the United States in the weeks before Trump took office. He has since sought to withdraw the plea, arguing prosecutors violated his rights and duped him into a plea agreement.
Flynn was one of several former Trump aides to plead guilty or be convicted at trial in former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Moscow's interference in the 2016 U.S. election to boost Trump's candidacy.
Trump in March said he was strongly considering a full pardon for Flynn. He said the FBI and Justice Department had "destroyed" Flynn's life and that of his family.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Eric Beech and Ted Hesson; Editing by Robert Birsel and Lincoln Feast.)
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