Former CIA Director John Brennan filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking a court order that would require the Trump administration to keep documents connected to federal inquiries involving him.
Brennan believes the records could reveal why the investigations were launched and help support a future claim that any criminal case was driven by political retaliation rather than evidence of a crime, according to the complaint. His legal team argues the documents should be preserved now because they could disappear before any case reaches court.
The filing points to years of criticism from President Donald Trump and says that his repeated attacks on Brennan show a long-running effort to punish him over his time leading the CIA and his public criticism of the president. Brennan’s lawyers argue that history could become relevant if prosecutors decide to seek an indictment.
“To fully consider those motions, the reviewing judge would need to scrutinize the motivations of the Justice Department officials who directed, oversaw, or undertook those actions to determine whether they violated Director Brennan’s rights, and specifically whether they were motivated by a desire to vindictively prosecute him as an act of retribution,” Brennan’s lawyers wrote in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also warns that emails, messages, calendars, and other government communications tied to the inquiries could be deleted or lost unless a judge orders agencies to preserve them. Brennan’s attorneys say those records may be needed to examine whether the investigations were handled properly.
The lawsuit names Trump and several top administration officials as defendants. The list includes acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones, and Justice Department special counsel Joe diGenova.
Brennan’s lawsuit stems from a Department of Justice investigation that began after House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan sent a criminal referral to the DOJ last year, alleging that Brennan lied to Congress during 2023 testimony about how the intelligence community prepared its assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Brennan has denied the allegations and says the investigation is politically motivated. Although prosecutors initially subpoenaed witnesses to testify before a grand jury, the DOJ later withdrew those subpoenas and instead requested voluntary interviews.
