The House Intelligence Committee voted behind closed doors on March 24 to send classified transcripts related to former CIA Director John Brennan to the Justice Department, signaling the Trump administration is pursuing a potential criminal case against him, according to Punchbowl News.
The documents will remain classified.
Brennan under grand jury scrutiny
Brennan, who led the CIA from 2013 to 2017, is reportedly a target of a grand jury investigation tied to the 2017 intelligence community assessment on Russian interference in 2016 US Presidential election.
The assessment concluded that Moscow sought to influence the election in favor of then-candidate Donald Trump and undermine Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was said to have ordered an influence campaign aimed at weakening confidence in US democracy and damaging Clinton’s chances.
Longstanding target of Trump
Brennan has long been a target of Trump. He played a key role in initiating the counterintelligence investigation into Trump’s campaign in 2016.
Trump stripped Brennan of his security clearance in 2018 and again in 2025, escalating tensions between the former intelligence official and the administration.
Justice Department probe
An earlier wave of subpoenas in November sought documents related to the preparation of the intelligence assessment on Russian interference.
Brennan pushes back
Brennan’s legal team strongly criticized the investigation.
“While it is mystifying how the prosecutors could possibly believe there is any legally justifiable basis for undertaking this investigation, they have done nothing to explain that mystery,” his attorney wrote in a letter to Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga, according to NBC News.
Jordan’s referral and denial
Republican lawmaker Jim Jordan, a key Trump ally and chair of the House Judiciary Committee, had earlier referred Brennan to the Justice Department for prosecution.
Jordan alleged Brennan gave false testimony in 2023 regarding the Russia investigation.
Brennan’s lawyers have denied those claims, according to NBC News.
