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Navy Sailor Pardoned for Misusing Classified Information

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Kristian Saucier, the former U.S. Navy sailor who served a year behind bars for taking photos of classified areas in a nuclear submarine, has been pardoned, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Friday.

Saucier recently received a letter from the Department of Justice saying it was taking a new look at his request for a pardon. Although he was released from jail last year, he remained under house arrest.

President Trump had denounced the government’s handling of Saucier’s case, calling it a political move and saying it contrasted with the velvet-gloved response to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s mismanagement of classified information through a private server.

He was convicted of unauthorized retention of national defense information, which is a felony, and received an “other-than-honorable” discharge from the Navy. He faced a possible 10 years in jail, his lawyers said.