Outgoing US President Donald Trump has pardoned former top security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about contacts with Russia.
This is the first in a series of pardons Trump is expected to offer to key aides of his administration before Joe Biden is inaugurated in January, with debate that he will also try to pardon himself.
Although the presidential pardon implies Flynn is guilty, he has previously tried to withdraw his guilty plea, gaining Trump’s support during the ongoing legal battle that ensued following this decision.