Former CIA director John Brennan sues Trump admin to preserve DOJ records on 2016 US election, Russia probe | Today’s news
Former CIA Director John Brennan has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking to preserve Justice Department records related to the ongoing federal investigation into his role in the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington, comes before any criminal charges have been filed against Brennan. His legal team says preserving internal government communications is necessary if he is later indicted, and says the records could help prove any prosecution was politically motivated.
Why is Brennan under investigation?
Federal prosecutors in Miami are investigating whether Brennan made false statements to Congress in 2023 about the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that Russia sought to support President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The investigation is also part of a broader Justice Department investigation into whether former intelligence and law enforcement officials conspired to undermine Trump during and after the Russia investigation.
Trump has repeatedly dismissed the Russia investigation as a “Russian hoax” and called for a criminal investigation of the officials involved.
Brennan has denied any wrongdoing and says the investigation is politically motivated.
What does the Brennan lawsuit want?
Rather than asking the court to halt the investigation, Brennan is seeking an order requiring the Justice Department to preserve emails, text messages, internal memos, calendar entries and other communications related to the investigation.
His lawyers say the materials may later be needed to challenge any charges as unconstitutional.
“Given these strong indicia of vindictiveness, Director Brennan expects to vigorously challenge any potential indictment as the result of an unconstitutionally vindictive and selective prosecution,” the lawsuit states.
The complaint also seeks to preserve communications involving Trump, White House officials and Justice Department personnel connected to the investigation.
Why does Brennan believe the records are at risk?
The lawsuit alleges that important government communications could disappear due to alleged failure to comply with federal record-keeping requirements and the use of encrypted messaging platforms such as Signal.
“Given the government’s questionable recent history with respect to its record retention and other statutory obligations … Director Brennan has reasonable concerns that these records and communications will not be preserved until a court can review them for evidence of unconstitutional vindictiveness,” Brennan’s lawyers wrote.
How would the records help Brennan?
Internal communications could reveal whether prosecutors acted independently or responded to political pressure, according to the lawsuit.
“A careful examination of plaintiffs’ emails, texts, instant messages, internal memos, and the like would allow the court to determine whether their decisions were based on legitimate law enforcement concerns or a desire to selectively and/or vindictively prosecute Director Brennan,” the complaint states.
Brennan’s legal team says Trump has publicly criticized him more than 100 times since 2017 and has repeatedly urged the Justice Department to investigate him, which they say supports claims of selective prosecution.
The suit alleges that Brennan is being targeted because of Trump’s “obsession with punishing him for his lawful conduct as CIA director and for his constitutionally protected criticism of the president and the president’s policies.”
He adds: “That is why he is being singled out for the fabricated theories of crime investigation, and that will be the dominant reason for any criminal charges arising from that investigation.”
How did the Department of Justice respond?
The Justice Department has declined to confirm whether Brennan is under investigation, but has dismissed his charges.
“While we cannot comment on the existence or absence of an investigation, it is certainly rich that John Brennan is accusing anyone of a ‘retaliation campaign,'” said Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Covington.
Who is named in the lawsuit?
The complaint names Trump along with several senior administration officials, including Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones and Justice Department Special Counsel Joe diGenova.
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