Former CIA Director John Brennan and ex-FBI Director James Comey are facing federal investigations over their roles in the now-discredited 2016 Trump-Russia collusion narrative, according to Justice Department sources cited by Fox News Digital.
Brennan, who led the CIA during the Obama administration, is reportedly under scrutiny for potentially giving false testimony to Congress. The criminal referral concerning Brennan was allegedly submitted to the FBI by then-CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The probe centers on Brennan’s involvement in shaping the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
A recent CIA internal review criticized Brennan, Comey, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper for including information from the infamous Steele dossier—an unverified document linking Trump to Russia—in the ICA. The review concluded that this decision “ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles” and “undermined the credibility of a key judgment.”
“This was Obama, Comey, Clapper, and Brennan deciding, ‘We’re going to screw Trump,’” Ratcliffe told the New York Post.
Miranda Devine of the Post echoed concerns about the credibility of the assessment, saying the Steele dossier “did not meet even the most basic tradecraft standards.”
A newly uncovered email shows Brennan defending the dossier’s inclusion: “My bottom line is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report.” However, in 2017 testimony under oath, Brennan claimed: “It was not in any way used as a basis for the Intelligence Community Assessment.” Years later, in a closed-door session before the House Judiciary Committee, he walked that back, admitting the CIA strongly opposed referencing the Steele dossier in the ICA.
Comey is also under federal investigation, though the specific nature of the probe has not been disclosed. DOJ insiders reportedly view Comey and Brennan’s roles in the Russia investigation as part of a broader “conspiracy.”
The CIA’s review also stated that the FBI insisted on including the Steele dossier in the ICA and “repeatedly pushed to weave references to it throughout the main body of the assessment,” raising further concerns about the politicization of intelligence during the 2016 election.
