WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump has pardoned a Navy sailor who took photographs of the classified areas of a military submarine.

  

Kristian Saucier pleaded guilty last year for taking the photos inside the USS Alexandria in 2009. He's served a 12-month prison sentence for the crime.

  

Trump referenced Saucier's case often on the campaign trail as he criticized his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

  

Saucier has said he merely wanted service mementos. But federal prosecutors said he was a disgruntled sailor who compromised national security and then obstructed the investigation by destroying a laptop and camera.

  

The news was announced by White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee at a briefing Friday.