Florida Grand Jury Subpoenas Brennan in Trump Probe
Florida Grand Jury Subpoenas Brennan in Trump Probe
Anonymous
Key Points
1
Brennan’s lawyers said the earlier subpoenas in the Washington false-statements investigation were issued in the spring but later withdrawn in favor of voluntary interviews.
2
The Justice Department has not announced a replacement for Joe diGenova; Brennan’s lawyer said the prosecutor who discussed the subpoena with him was Kurt Olsen, who had unsuccessfully urged the department in 2020 to support Trump’s claims that the election was stolen.
3
Brennan’s preservation lawsuit names President Trump, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Attorney General Todd Blanche, senior prosecutors and intelligence chiefs as parties whose records he wants preserved; the case was filed in July before Judge Jia Cobb.
4
Brennan’s attorneys said the records would be used to challenge any eventual indictment as unconstitutional selective and vindictive prosecution, writing that a court would need to examine internal communications to determine the investigation’s true motivations.
5
In seeking preservation of the records, Brennan’s lawyers specifically cited officials’ use of Signal messages set to delete automatically, alleging that people in the administration and Justice Department were failing to meet their legal record-retention obligations.
Former CIA Director John Brennan has been subpoenaed to testify October 15 before a federal grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida, as part of a Justice Department investigation into whether officials conspired to deprive Donald Trump of his civil rights NBC News. The inquiry covers the 2016 Russia election investigation and Trump's classified-documents case at Mar-a-Lago. Brennan is also a target in a separate Washington probe into whether he made false statements to Congress in 2023—allegations he denies CBS News.
The subpoena was issued just before lead prosecutor Joe diGenova resigned from the investigation, reportedly due to criticism over the probe's management. Brennan's legal team said the prosecutor who discussed the subpoena was Kurt Olsen, who urged the Justice Department in 2020 to back Trump's false election-theft claims NBC News. Separately, Brennan is asking a federal judge to require the Trump administration to preserve records, arguing they could support a defense against what he calls selective and vindictive prosecution ADN.
Two Separate Investigations Target Brennan
The Florida grand jury investigation focuses on whether officials who pursued Trump probes conspired against him. Brennan's subpoena orders testimony about the Russia investigation and the classified-documents case NBC News. A second Washington investigation examines whether Brennan lied to Congress in 2023. His lawyers said earlier subpoenas in that case were withdrawn in spring and replaced with voluntary interviews ADN.
Prosecutor Resignation Raises Questions About Continuity
Joe diGenova, a Trump loyalist leading the conspiracy investigation, resigned just before signing Brennan's subpoena NBC News. The Justice Department has not announced a replacement. Internal criticism over the investigation's pace and management reportedly contributed to diGenova's exit. Prosecutor Kurt Olsen, who discussed the subpoena with Brennan's lawyer, previously urged the department to support Trump's debunked election-fraud claims NBC News.
Brennan Seeks Records to Prove Selective Prosecution
Brennan filed a preservation lawsuit in July before Judge Jia Cobb, naming President Trump, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Attorney General Todd Blanche ADN. He seeks to preserve internal communications to prove the investigation is politically motivated and unconstitutional. Brennan's lawyers specifically cited officials' use of Signal messages set to auto-delete, alleging the administration and Justice Department are violating legal record-retention rules ADN.
Sentiment
Mostly NegativeNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
15
Articles
271
Reach
286
Topics
A
AnonymousAuthor
