House Republicans refer Obama CIA Chief Brennan to DOJ
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Former CIA Director John Brennan in Philadelphia, Pa., in 2022. Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images
John Brennan, who was CIA director under Obama, was referred to the Justice Department Tuesday by House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who accused him of lying to Congress about the Steele dossier.
Why it matters: The recommendation is a high-profile effort by House Republicans to prosecute a former intelligence official, aligning with President Trump's broader goals to legally target his political enemies.
Catch up quick: The Steele dossier, a widely discredited set of memos compiled in 2016 by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, alleged ties between Russia and Trump.
- Parts of the dossier were shared with the FBI and cited in intelligence efforts, including the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian election interference.
- Brennan was reportedly under prior investigation by the current DOJ for allegedly lying about Russia's involvement, and he has denied any wrongdoing.
Driving the news: In a letter sent Tuesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi, the committee claimed there is "significant evidence" Brennan made "numerous willfully and intentionally false statements" in his testimony about the CIA's involvement with the Steele dossier.
- "Brennan's assertion that the CIA was not 'involved at all' with the Steele dossier cannot be reconciled with the facts," Jordan wrote in the letter.
- "Brennan's testimony ... was a brazen attempt to knowingly and willfully testify falsely and fictitiously to material facts."
Context: The letter accuses Brennan of falsely testifying on three separate accounts.
- It says he allegedly lied about the CIA using the Steele dossier as part of the Intelligence Community Assessment's post-election draft in 2023.
- Jordan wrote that Brennan provided untrue information about the agency's opposition to incorporating the dossier in the ICA.
- He accuses Brennan of giving misleading testimony to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence at a hearing in 2017.
What they're saying: "John Brennan lied to Congress," Jordan said in an X post Tuesday. "Today, we referred him to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution."
- Representatives from Brennan's book publisher and his attorney who represented him in 2022 during then -special counsel John Durham's Russia investigation did not immediately respond to Axios' Tuesday evening request for comment.
- The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Axios'Tuesday evening request for comment.
Read the letter in full, via DocumentCloud:
Go deeper: How Gabbard damaged the Trump admin's probe into ex-spy chief
