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US President Donald Trump has pardoned his former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, exposing himself to abuse of power.
"It is a great honor for me to announce that General Michael T. Flynn has received a full pardon," Trump wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
The retired general was involved in the Russia affair about possible electoral influence from Russia.
Leading Democrats in the US Congress accused Trump of carefully undermining the rule of law.
The Republican could pardon other people before his term ends on Jan. 20.
Former presidents such as Barack Obama exercised this right right up to their last day in office.
Flynn had only served as National Security Advisor to the White House for just over three weeks in 2017.
He later admitted in the course of the investigation into possible Russian influence on the US presidential election in 2016 that he had lied to the FBI Federal Police.
He is also said to have lied to Vice President Mike Pence on the matter.
Flynn was the only one to plead guilty to FBI special investigator Robert Mueller's investigations.
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In January, Flynn filed a motion to withdraw his confession shortly before a verdict was expected in his trial.
In May, the Ministry of Justice called for an end to the proceedings in a highly unusual step.
One was not convinced that the hearing of Flynn in January 2017 was based on a legitimate investigation, it said, among other things.
Trump then hailed Flynn as a "hero".
The case was stuck in a federal court after the controversial move by the Justice Department.
The judge responsible there had not agreed to drop the allegations against Flynn.
The possibility of Trump pardoning his confidante had long been in the room.
In March the president announced that he was seriously considering a "full pardon".
According to Trump, Flynn was treated unfairly by the judiciary and the FBI.
He repeatedly complained that Flynn had been persecuted by the judiciary.
"You accused Flynn of lying and he didn't lie," Trump said in an interview in October.
In his words, the Russia investigation was a pure "witch hunt".
"He's an innocent man"
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Before the November 3 presidential election, the legal battle in the Flynn case came back on the agenda: Republicans sought to mobilize supporters by portraying an establishment conspiracy against Trump.
The statement by Trump's spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday had a similar tenor: “General Flynn should not need a pardon.
He's an innocent man. ”He was“ a victim of partisan government officials ”who tried to undermine the 2016 elections.
McEnany accused employees of the administration of ex-President Barack Obama of having thwarted a "peaceful transfer of power" to his successor.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows referred to Flynn as an "American patriot" on Twitter.
"What the left has done to him and his family over the past four years must never be allowed in America again."
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House spokeswoman, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, accused Trump of abuse of power in favor of a convicted criminal: "Flynn's actions have represented a serious and dangerous violation of our national security." The pardon is further evidence that Trump abides by the rule of law not mind.
US House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff wrote on Twitter: "Donald Trump has repeatedly abused his pardon to reward friends and protect those who have covered him."