Justice Department Subpoenas John Brennan Over Russia Inquiry

The United States Department of Justice has expanded a Florida-based criminal investigation into the U.S. government's response to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. In a new round of subpoenas, officials are seeking records compiled since January 2017, building upon an initial set of demands issued in November that targeted documents surrounding the publication of the 2017 intelligence community assessment.

John Brennan, the former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, has been informed that he is a target of the probe. The investigation examines whether intelligence and law enforcement officials abused their authority during the drafting of the assessment and scrutinizes the use of the Steele dossier in official reports. This follows a tradecraft review by CIA Director John Ratcliffe that criticized procedural anomalies and Brennan's oversight of the 2017 findings.

Lawyers for Brennan have described the investigation as manufactured, asserting there is no legally justifiable basis for the inquiry. The probe is part of a broader effort by the Donald Trump administration to revisit the origins and conduct of the Russia investigation, though it remains unclear if the inquiry will lead to criminal charges.