Trump pardons former Navy sailor who was jailed for taking photos on nuclear submarine

The White House announced on Friday that President Donald Trump handed down the second pardon of his term.

This pardon went to former Navy sailor Kristian Saucier, who was convicted in 2016 on a felony charge of unauthorized possession and retention of national defense information after taking photographs inside a nuclear submarine in 2009.

What's the history?

Kristian served in the Navy as a machinist's mate on the USS Alexandria from 2007 to 2012.

He served a year in prison as a result of the conviction and was released to his Vermont home in September.

The former serviceman remained under house arrest after being released in September, and received an "other-than-honorable" discharge from the Navy.

What did the White House say?

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the news during a Friday press briefing.

"The president has pardoned Kristian Saucier, a Navy submariner," Sanders said. "Mr. Saucier was 22 years old at the time of his offenses and has served out his 12-month sentence. He has been recognized by his fellow service members for his dedication, skill and patriotic spirit."

She added, "While serving, he regularly mentored younger sailors and served as an instructor for new recruits. The sentencing judge found that Mr. Saucier's offense stands in contrast to his commendable military service. The president is appreciative of Mr. Saucier's service to the country."

What did others say?

Fox News reached out to Kristian's wife, Sadie, who expressed her happiness and disbelief.

"It hasn’t set in, honestly," Sadie said. "I called him at work and told him, and all he could say was 'What? What?' I said: ‘Honey, we’re normal now. We can have a normal life, be a normal family.' He doesn’t have to wear an ankle bracelet anymore."

Kristian worked as a trash collector, as it was one of the few jobs he could get with a felony conviction.

Kristian's attorney, Ronald Daigle, told Fox that he felt nothing but excitement over the pardon.

"We’re so excited," Daigle said. "This is going to change his life. He’ll be able to find employment, he’ll be able to carry on with his life. We can’t believe it."

"We are so grateful for our president for this," he added. "We’ve been passed over by the previous administration, and this president took the time to look into this matter and made the right decision, in our view."

Anything else?

Throughout his campaign, Trump criticized the way that Kristian's case was handled, and often compared it as a stark contrast to the handling of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's email controversy.