Former CIA Director John Brennan has been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury in Florida on October 15 as part of a Justice Department investigation into allegations that former government officials conspired against former President Donald Trump.
Brennan's attorney, Ken Wainstein, stated in a court filing that the subpoena relates to a broad criminal probe examining whether federal officials conspired to deprive Trump of his civil rights during his first term. The investigation reportedly centers on whether Obama-era officials were involved in creating a narrative that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 election, a claim that has since been widely disputed.
The probe also reportedly encompasses actions following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot and the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, though those legal actions were formally dropped against Trump after his 2024 re-election.
While Brennan is considered a "subject" of the broader inquiry, he is reportedly not the primary target. He is also said to be a "target" in a separate investigation concerning whether he knowingly made false statements to a House committee in 2023 about the intelligence community's assessment that Russia aimed to assist Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Brennan has denied these allegations.
Amidst ongoing public questions about the "grand conspiracy" probe in southern Florida, a Justice Department spokesperson confirmed that Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, will oversee the investigations, assisted by prosecutors within the district and support from the DOJ headquarters in Washington D.C.
The confirmation comes after Attorney General Todd Blanche's Senate confirmation earlier this year. Insiders had suggested Blanche had appointed former federal prosecutor Joe diGenova to lead the investigations due to perceived delays by career prosecutors. However, diGenova resigned abruptly last week, with recent reports indicating this may have been due to pressure from DOJ leadership to accelerate prosecutions against Trump's political opponents. A DOJ spokesperson expressed gratitude for diGenova's service.
Wainstein described diGenova's departure as "pretty remarkable" during a federal court hearing related to Brennan's lawsuit seeking to preserve government records. He emphasized that a viable threat of prosecution remains for his client, characterizing the investigation as involving "a lot of really underhanded stuff."