Trump says Michael Flynn is in the process of being exonerated

President Trump on Thursday said his former national security adviser Michael Flynn is “in the process of being exonerated” and will “come back bigger and better,” after newly unsealed FBI records noted an internal discussion about the bureau’s investigation of Flynn. 

The president spent a chunk of Wednesday night and Thursday morning tweeting and retweeting praise of the convicted felon. The new FBI records show an unknown author questioned whether the goal was “Truth/Admission” from Flynn or “to get him to lie.” The single page of handwritten notes is dated Jan. 24, 2017, which was the same day of Flynn’s White House FBI interview. 

Flynn was fired from the administration just days into the job in 2017, after lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with the Russian envoy to the U.S. during the transition period before inauguration. Flynn was convicted of lying to the FBI. On Thursday, the president claimed the new documents show the FBI was “trying to force him to lie.”

“When I looked at what they did to him, they tormented him. Dirty cops. Tormented General Flynn. General Flynn is a fine man, 35 years or so in the military. You don’t get to be where he is by being bad, that I can tell you. Then right at the beginning of the administration the dirty cops came in. And you see the notes, Jim,” the president said during a meeting with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Mr. Trump was addressing CNN’s Jim Acosta, who was the pool reporter.

“I mean, whether you’re on our side that side, whatever I mean, I assume, let’s all talk about fairness,” the president continued. “What they did to General Flynn and by the way to Roger Stone and to others was a disaster. And disgrace. And it should never be allowed to happen in this country again. And what I really hoped, because CNN tormented him in all fairness, I really hope to see because they haven’t been doing it. And I appreciate your question. I hope to see that CNN will not even apologize — which they should be — just cover it fairly. Because he’s in the process of being exonerated. If you look at those notes from yesterday, that was total exoneration.”

Mr. Trump has not said whether he will pardon Flynn. 

“What happened to General Michael Flynn, a war hero, should never be allowed to happen to a citizen of the United States again!” the president tweeted Thursday morning.