Former CIA Director John Brennan is taking the Trump administration to court as two Justice Department criminal investigations into his conduct continue to gather steam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., Brennan asked a judge to order the Justice Department, the White House, the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to preserve records related to the ongoing probes, arguing the materials could prove critical if he is eventually charged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The filing does not seek to stop the investigations. Instead, Brennan’s attorneys contend that internal emails, memos and other communications may become key evidence if they later argue any prosecution was motivated by politics rather than the facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“The evidence of vindictiveness in this matter is overwhelming,” Brennan’s lawyers wrote in the 46-page complaint.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of using the criminal justice system to target political opponents, claiming Brennan has been “vindictively singled out for investigation and prosecution.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brennan, who led the CIA under former President Barack Obama, has spent years publicly criticizing President Donald Trump. The two have been locked in a bitter feud dating back to Trump’s first term, when Brennan sharply criticized Trump’s handling of intelligence matters and Trump responded by revoking Brennan’s security clearance in 2018, calling his conduct “erratic” and accusing him of making “wild outbursts” about the administration. Brennan later became one of Trump’s most outspoken intelligence-community critics on television and in public appearances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, that long-running political rivalry has become intertwined with a pair of Justice Department investigations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One investigation is examining whether Brennan made false statements to Congress during 2023 testimony regarding the intelligence community’s assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second is a broader probe examining allegations that Obama- and Biden-era intelligence and law enforcement officials participated in a years-long effort to undermine Trump’s political career. No charges have been filed against Brennan in either investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the lawsuit, Brennan intends to challenge any future indictment as “unconstitutionally vindictive and selective.” His attorneys argue that preserving government records now is essential because losing those materials could make it impossible to determine whether prosecutors acted appropriately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among those named as defendants are President Trump, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Qui\u00f1ones and other officials involved in the investigations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n