Trump plans to pardon Michael Flynn: source

U.S. President Donald Trump has told allies he plans to pardon his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, a source familiar with the situation said on Tuesday (November 24).

Gloria Tso reports.

U.S. President Donald Trump has told allies he plans to pardon his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Axios was first to report the planned pardon on Tuesday, which would take Flynn's case out of the hands of the courts, and away from a Justice Department controlled by President-elect Joe Biden.

Flynn has been the focus of a years-long legal saga after lying to the FBI about his interactions with Russia's ambassador to the United States in the weeks leading up to Trump's inauguration.

He later pleaded guilty during Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election to boost Trump's candidacy.

But Flynn has since sought to withdraw the guilty plea, arguing that prosecutors violated his rights and duped him into a plea agreement.

Trump had said in March he was strongly considering a full pardon for Flynn.

The source says he may still change his mind about the planned pardon.

But if he does grant Flynn a reprieve, it would be the highest-profile pardon issued by the president since he took office.

As he approaches his final weeks in the presidency, Trump has the potential to expunge other friends and supporters of all federal criminal convictions.