Former CIA Director John Brennan is the subject of a criminal referral to the Justice Department, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) wrote in a letter to the agency on Tuesday arguing he should face charges for lying to Congress.
Criminal Referral Center is operational testimony Brennan delivered to Congress in 2023, and argued Brennan’s comments about the CIA’s role in investigating the 2016 election were based on information collected by House Intelligence Committee Republicans.
Letter Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Brennan of lying about the role of the Steele Dossier in the intelligence community reviews of Russian interference in the 2016 election and extensively. The document has since been largely discredited.
The 2017 House Republican report is based on Jordan’s referral, which remained classified until recently released The move, by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, was highly criticized by other intelligence community officials.
after this he did Issuing one’s own memorandum Accused Brennan and other Obama-era officials of engaging in a “treasonous conspiracy”. However, the memo broadly shows that intelligence leaders discussed how Russia was not able to shift any vote totals during its efforts to influence the 2016 election.
Current CIA Director John Ratcliffe has already made a criminal referral on that case and Brennan is already being investigated by the Justice Department.
An attorney for Brennan did not respond to a request for comment, but Brennan denied wrongdoing amid July reports that he was being investigated.
Brennan said in an appearance on MSNBC, “It’s hard to believe that we’re here, eight and a half years later. We’re still moving on this ground that has, I think, been plowed quite thoroughly and exhaustively.”
He defended the intelligence community’s work in reviewing Russian efforts to influence the 2016 contest as adversaries are likely to continue interfering in U.S. affairs, saying they went to “great lengths” to protect the identities of those investigated in their work, including those who entered the Trump administration.
He said, “I think this is unfortunately a very sad and sad example of the continued politicization of the intelligence community, the national security process. And frankly, I’m really shocked that people who are willing to sacrifice their reputation, their credibility, their decency, are willing to continue to do Donald Trump’s bidding is clearly just politically based.”
Jordan, a staunch Trump ally, noted the criteria that prosecutors would need to prove to win a conviction on any potential charge — that Brennan knowingly lied.
“While testifying, Brennan knowingly and knowingly made numerous misstatements of material fact contrary to records established by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and the CIA,” Jordan wrote in the letter.
Any charges against Brennan would mirror a similar case already brought against former FBI Director James Comey, whom the Justice Department also accused of lying when he appeared before Congress. Comey has denied any wrongdoing, and charges were filed shortly before the statute of limitations expired in the case. Former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan was appointed to lead the office after a career prosecutor left her post over concerns related to the case.
Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the panel’s top Democrat, criticized Republicans for capitalizing on past testimony in an effort to bring criminal charges.
“Instead of working to shut down the government, lower health care costs, and meet the needs of our people, committee Republicans are pulling out old testimony from Trump’s enemies, even when the statute of limitations has already expired, in hopes of getting something — anything — that might appease their boss Donald Trump,” he said.
“The allegations of lying are weak, lame and contradictory.”
