The Justice Department has subpoenaed witnesses to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington as part of its investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, according to three people familiar with the matter. The subpoenas were issued in recent days, indicating prosecutors are pressing forward with the months-old inquiry despite a key prosecutor’s recent departure.
The investigation centers on a 2023 congressional hearing where Brennan testified about the intelligence community’s assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election — a case that has become a flashpoint in ongoing disputes over that election.
The investigation is one of several criminal probes the Justice Department has opened against figures the Trump administration views as adversaries. A Trump loyalist who previously served as a federal prosecutor has been appointed to oversee the inquiry, marking a significant development in a case Brennan characterizes as politically motivated.
Moving Forward Despite Legal Doubts
The Justice Department issued the grand jury subpoenas in recent days, even as one of its lead prosecutors withdrew from the case. Maria Medetis Long, a Florida-based career prosecutor who had been helping lead the inquiry, left after expressing doubts about whether criminal charges could successfully be brought against Brennan, according to someone familiar with the matter. Yet prosecutors moved forward, issuing new subpoenas to advance the investigation.
New Leadership and Political Dimensions
Joseph diGenova, 81, a former Justice Department lawyer and Trump loyalist who served as U.S. Attorney in Washington during the 1980s, was sworn in Monday as a special counselor to the attorney general. DiGenova is expected to take a leading role in the Brennan investigation.
DiGenova supported Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. In 2020, he made headlines when he said Chris Krebs, a top Trump administration cybersecurity official who had determined that the 2020 election was free of major fraud, should be killed. DiGenova later apologized, and a lawsuit filed against him by Krebs was withdrawn.
The Investigation’s Origins
The investigation began with a criminal referral made last year by Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Jordan alleged that Brennan made false statements before Congress in 2023 when testifying about how the intelligence community prepared its assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Brennan served as CIA director under President Barack Obama and held that position when the intelligence community published its assessment in January 2017. The assessment detailed Russian efforts aimed at helping Trump defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
Brennan’s Denials and Mueller’s Findings
Brennan and his lawyers have vigorously denied any wrongdoing and have characterized the investigation as politically motivated.
An investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller found that Russia meddled on Trump’s behalf in the 2016 election and that Trump’s campaign welcomed the assistance. However, Mueller concluded that his inquiry lacked sufficient evidence to prove a criminal conspiracy.