Federal prosecutors to get classified House documents in Brennan probe as decision on charges against former CIA chief nears
By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN
(CNN) — The House Intelligence Committee voted Tuesday to give federal prosecutors classified records related to John Brennan, according to a committee spokesperson, signaling the Justice Department’s investigation into the former CIA director may be heading towards possible charges.
The committee held the vote behind closed doors, a source said, and the records will not be made public.
The vote came after the Justice Department requested the documents from the committee.
Federal prosecutors have for months worked to build a case against Brennan over allegations that he lied to Congress about a years-ago intelligence assessment on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
One of the records the committee will turn over is a transcript of an interview with Brennan, the source said.
An attorney for Brennan declined to comment, and he has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The DOJ’s request for Intelligence Committee records was first reported by Punchbowl News.
Earlier this month, federal prosecutors in Miami issued a subpoena to former FBI Director James Comey seeking years of records related to the intelligence community assessment of Russian meddling, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
Both the Comey subpoena and DOJ’s request for records from Congress are key steps that prosecutors would need to take before deciding whether or not to bring charges.
Brennan’s lawyers have been bracing for a possible indictment for months.
Career prosecutors in Miami have signaled to Justice Department officials they don’t believe the case against Brennan is a strong one, CNN previously reported, but have continued to work toward possibly bringing it in DC federal court.
Brennan told House investigators in 2017 that Russia “brazenly interfered” in US elections, including actively contacting members of Trump’s campaign. However, he stopped shy of dubbing it “collusion.”
The investigation into Russian election interference ultimately did not find that Trump’s campaign or associates conspired with Russia or that Trump committed a crime. But the investigation also did not exonerate the president on obstruction of justice.
Through a mix of presidential powers including executive orders and federal investigations, Trump has sought retribution on a number of fronts, targeting those involved in the multiple legal cases against him, including his indictments for hoarding classified documents and attempting to overturn the 2020 election, as well as the probe into the 2016 election.
CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
