Updated at 12:34 p.m. with Trump issuing the pardon

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump has issued a full pardon to I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney.

"I don't know Mr. Libby," Trump said in a statement, "but for years I have heard that he has been treated unfairly. Hopefully, this full pardon will help rectify a very sad portion of his life," The Washington Post reported.

Libby is Cheney's former chief of staff. He was convicted of lying to investigators and obstruction of justice after the 2003 leak of the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame.

The White House praised Libby's record since his conviction, calling it "unblemished," according to The Post. It also said one of the key witnesses against Libby had recanted her testimony in 2015.

President George W. Bush later commuted Libby's 30-month prison sentence, but didn't issue a pardon despite intense pressure from Cheney. No one was ever charged with the leak.

The Associated Press and The Washington Post

Information compiled by Breaking News producer Loyd Brumfield