Trump Grants Full Pardon to Michael Flynn

President Trump will be in office for another 55 days—but he's not waiting until the last minute to issue pardons. The president announced Wednesday that he is granting a pardon to former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the US. "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!" Flynn, who was ousted from the administration after just 22 days, tried to rescind his guilty plea earlier this year.

The pardon ends the criminal case against Flynn—who cooperated with Robert Mueller's Russia investigation—as US District Justice Emmet Sullivan was weighing a Justice Department request to dismiss the case, the AP reports. Flynn attorney Sidney Powell, who was also involved with the Trump campaign's attempts to overturn the election results, said in September that she had urged Trump not to pardon Flynn because he "is entitled to a public exoneration by the court," the Washington Post reports. "If the system works right, the wrongful prosecution will be dismissed with prejudice," she said. "No pardon should be needed. General Flynn is innocent." (More Trump pardons are expected.)