DC Grand Jury Summons Key Witnesses in John Brennan Probe: Exclusive Insights

WASHINGTON – In a significant development, the Justice Department has ramped up its investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan by issuing subpoenas to multiple witnesses. This move comes as part of an ongoing federal grand jury inquiry in Washington, according to three individuals familiar with the proceedings.

These subpoenas, dispatched in recent days, highlight the Justice Department’s determination to advance the investigation. This determination persists despite the recent departure of a Florida-based career prosecutor who had been pivotal in leading the inquiry but expressed reservations about the legal grounds for a criminal prosecution.

Adding a new dimension to the investigation, a former Justice Department lawyer, who held a prominent prosecutorial role in the 1980s and later supported President Donald Trump’s legal maneuvers to contest his 2020 election defeat, has been appointed as a special counselor to the attorney general. This appointment is expected to significantly impact the ongoing inquiry.

The investigation into Brennan, which has been underway for several months, is part of a broader series of criminal probes initiated by the Justice Department over the past year. These investigations predominantly target individuals perceived as adversaries of Trump and focus on contentious issues, such as the U.S. intelligence community’s assertion that Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Trump.

Details of the subpoenas were shared by anonymous sources familiar with the case, who spoke to The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation. According to two of these sources, at least three subpoenas have been issued, a fact initially reported by CBS News.

Brennan served as CIA director under President Barack Obama and was in that role when the intelligence community in January 2017 published an assessment detailing Russian interference aimed at helping Trump defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. An investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller concluded that Russia meddled on Trump’s behalf and that his campaign welcomed the assistance, but it did not find sufficient evidence to prove a criminal conspiracy.

The Justice Department last year received a criminal referral from Rep Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, alleging that Brennan made false statements before the panel in 2023 about the preparation of the intelligence community assessment. Brennan and his lawyers have vigorously denied any wrongdoing.

The investigation has been unfolding for months in Florida, with investigators having lined up interviews and issued subpoenas for records. The latest subpoenas seek grand jury testimony in Washington, an indication that prosecutors expect they would have to bring any criminal case in Washington since that is where Brennan’s testimony took place.

On Friday, it was revealed that a key national security prosecutor in Florida who’d been handling the investigation, Maria Medetis Long, left the case. She expressed doubts about the case and was removed, another person familiar with the matter said.

The Justice Department since then has tapped Joseph diGenova, 81, a Trump loyalist who served as the U.S. Attorney in Washington for part of the 1980s, to serve as a special counselor to the attorney general. He was sworn in Monday in Florida and is expected to work on the Brennan investigation.

DiGenova supported Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. He made headlines that year when he said Chris Krebs, a top Trump administration cybersecurity official who said the election was not tainted by fraud, should be killed. DiGenova later apologized and a lawsuit filed against him by Krebs was withdrawn.

___

Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.