A person familiar with discussions between Trump and his aides told The New York Times that the Republican president plans to pardon Flynn before leaving office. 

A pardon is not reviewable by other branches of government and the president does not have to give a reason for issuing one.

"We welcome the review," Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said.

The exchange occurred on the Mo'Kelly Show, whose host, Morris O'Kelly, grilled Stone on his conviction for lying to Congress, tampering with witnesses and obstructing the House investigation into whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia.

A federal judge on Monday demanded more information about U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to commute the prison sentence of longtime ally Roger Stone.

The op-ed in The Washington Post marked Mueller's first public statement on his investigation since his congressional appearance last July.

Trump on Friday made the decision to commute the sentence of 67-year-old Stone, who was convicted of lying to help the president.

'An American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president,' Romney said in a tweet early Saturday.

The move, though short of a full pardon, is sure to alarm critics who have long railed against the president's repeated interventions in the nation's justice system.

Attorney General William Barr will testify before the House Judiciary Committee for the first time next month, the Justice Department said Wednesday.