John Brennan, the former director of the CIA, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking a court order to compel officials to preserve records from investigations he claims are targeting him for 'phantom criminal conduct'. The suit, lodged in federal court in Washington on Wednesday, argues that these records are crucial for his defense should he face a future indictment.
Brennan's legal team contends that any prosecution would be vindictive, pointing to over 100 verbal or written statements by Donald Trump since 2017 criticising Brennan, as well as presidential directives to the Department of Justice to pursue cases 'without regard to factual or legal justification'. The lawsuit names Trump, acting attorney general Todd Blanche, FBI director Kash Patel, and Florida prosecutors as defendants.
The suit details two separate investigations based in Florida: one examining whether Brennan made a false statement to Congress regarding intelligence assessments of Russian interference in the 2016 election, and another probing whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired to undermine Trump. No charges have been filed, and the Department of Justice has denied any weaponisation of the justice system.
