A former federal judge on Friday assailed the Trump-era U.S. Justice Department over its move to drop the prosecution of Michael Flynn, arguing that the abandonment of the case against the former Trump national security adviser amounted to a “politically motivated favor unworthy of our justice system.”

Debevoise & Plimpton partner John Gleeson, who was appointed by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan of the District of Columbia in May to oppose the Justice Department’s retreat from the prosecution, said the request to drop the case should be denied and that Flynn should be sentenced on his admission that he lied to the FBI about his past contacts with the Russian ambassador to the U.S.