Flynn was a victim, not a criminal…
Trump Pardons Michael Flynn
President Donald Trump pardoned his former National Security Advisor, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (Ret.), on Wednesday.
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 pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI. He later withdrew his plea as exculpatory evidence emerged.
Flynn served in the U.S. Army for three decades. He also served as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) under President Barack Obama. However, he felt Obama was not pursuing terrorists aggressively enough. He was eventually fired.
He saw an opportunity to advocate for his views in Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. A crowd favorite, Flynn was the warmup speaker for Trump on the campaign trail. When Trump won, he named Flynn his National Security Advisor. Flynn spent the transition planning an overhaul of national security strategy; his work continues to shape Trump’s policies.
The defeated campaign of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed that Russian interference had cost her the election. Senior Obama administration officials also told the media that they believed Trump had colluded with Russia. They identified Flynn as a potential link to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and warned Trump’s transition team about him.