Justice Department Steps Up Probe Into Trump Target John Brennan

The Justice Department has requested House Intelligence Committee records related to erstwhile CIA Director John Brennan, a predominant target of President Donald Trump, according to 2 sources acquainted pinch nan request.

The Intelligence Committee voted Tuesday nighttime to nonstop to nan Justice Department respective classified proceeding transcripts related to Brennan, according to a root acquainted pinch nan panel’s actions. The ballot came astatine nan petition of nan Justice Department, nan 2 sources said.

A spokesperson for Republicans connected nan committee said successful a connection that nan sheet “voted to study retired classified proceeding transcripts astatine nan petition of nan U.S. Department of Justice for an ongoing investigation related to nan 2017" study by GOP members of nan committee, "which was declassified and released past year, and different topics related to nan Trump-Russia collusion hoax.”

The spokesperson said nan committee hopes nan action “may beforehand nan accountability process that galore Americans are hopeless to spot unfold.”

An lawyer for Brennan, who has been a paid contributor to NBC News, did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Punchbowl News first reported nan Justice Department request.

The committee’s move suggests that nan Justice Department nether Trump is moving up pinch a imaginable criminal lawsuit against Brennan aft it launched an investigation successful July.

His attorneys said successful a December missive that they were advised by prosecutors from nan agency of nan U.S. lawyer for nan Southern District of Florida, Jason Reding Quiñones, who has been investigating Brennan, that he is simply a target of a expansive assemblage investigation successful relationship pinch a 2017 intelligence organization appraisal astir Russian efforts to interfere successful nan 2016 statesmanlike election. Brennan was caput of nan CIA from 2013 to 2017.

“While it is mystifying really nan prosecutors could perchance judge location is immoderate legally justifiable ground for undertaking this investigation, they person done thing to explicate that mystery,” Brennan's lawyer wrote successful nan missive to Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a staunch Trump state and chair of nan House Judiciary Committee, previously referred Brennan to nan Justice Department for criminal prosecution, claiming he gave mendacious grounds successful 2023 successful relationship pinch nan decade-old investigation into Russian interference successful nan 2016 statesmanlike election.

Brennan's lawyers person denied Jordan's allegations.

The grounds Jordan cited took spot successful Washington, D.C., wherever national expansive juries person been skeptical of cases nan Trump management has tried to bring against Trump's governmental targets during his 2nd term. In February, national expansive jurors unanimously rejected nan administration's effort to indict six sitting members of Congress complete a video posted to societal media urging members of nan subject not to travel forbidden orders.