Exclusive: Pence says he'd be "happy" to see Michael Flynn back in government

Vice President Mike Pence told "Axios on HBO" that he welcomes the idea of bringing Michael Flynn back into government, after the Justice Department moved last week to drop its criminal case against President Trump's former national security adviser.

Why it matters: Trump said April 30 that he would "certainly consider" bringing Flynn back into the administration. Since Flynn had been accused of lying to the vice president, Pence's blessing clears an obstacle to him returning to Trump’s inner circle.

• "I think Gen. Michael Flynn is an American patriot," Pence said during the interview in Iowa on Friday. "And for my part, I'd be happy to see Michael Flynn again."

The big picture: Trump lavished praise on the decision by his Justice Department to go to court to drop charges against Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

• On Twitter, the president called the Justice Department's abandonment of the case "a BIG day for Justice in the USA. Congratulations to General Flynn, and many others. I do believe there is MUCH more to come!"

Trump insiders say they wouldn't be surprised to see Flynn back on the campaign trail, where he was a warmup act for Trump in 2016.

Go deeper: Justice Department drops prosecution of Michael Flynn