Trump Says He’s ‘Strongly Considering’ Full Pardon For Michael Flynn

President Donald Trump is “strongly considering” a full pardon for former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty in 2017 of lying to the FBI about a conversation he had with the former ambassador to Russia.

The conversation eventually led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whose  investigation into collusion between Trump and Russia during the 2016 election failed to incriminate or clear the president of any wrongdoing.

“So now it is reported that, after destroying his life & the life of his wonderful family (and many others also), the FBI, working in conjunction with the Justice Department, has “lost” the records of General Michael Flynn,” Trump tweeted. “How convenient. I am strongly considering a Full Pardon!”

The lost records Trump referenced was likely related to a claim Flynn’s lawyers made in September, saying there was an internal Department of Justice memo clearing Flynn of being a Russian agent, but the prosecution could not locate that memo.

A government lawyer told CNN they had never accused Flynn of being a Russian agent, so those claims are irrelevant.

Many criticized the president for broaching the subject of a pardon during the coronavirus pandemic, which he declared a national emergency last week.

“I’m staying at home. You’re staying at home,” tweeted Joe Walsh, Trump’s former Republican presidential challenger. “Mayors & Governors are making tough calls to stop the virus spread. Americans are worried, confused, & scared. What’s the President doing? He’s tweeting today about Hillary’s emails, pardoning Michael Flynn, & attacking Joe Biden.”

Philip Rucker, a reporter at the Washington Post, noted that Trump’s tweet came right before a scheduled call with grocery store executives regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

“President Trump, who is scheduled to be on a call with grocery store executives at this hour and has a pandemic to manage, is tweeting currently about the plight of Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators,” Rucker tweeted.