(CNN) The Justice Department's decision to drop the criminal case against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn was a "corrupt and politically motivated favor," a former judge who was appointed to analyze the case said Friday in a new court filing. As part of the special counsel investigation, Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 and admitted that he lied to the FBI about his Russian contacts. But the Justice Department announced in May that it was abandoning the case, and asked to formally drop the charge. Gleeson accuses the Justice Department of invoking a "parade of false formalities" and using "straw man" arguments to protect Flynn. Months later, the Justice Department announced its intention to drop the case, an extraordinary reversal after spending years prosecuting Flynn.

Source: CNN September 11, 2020 20:48 UTC