Federal Grand Jury Subpoenas Former Intelligence Officials in Trump-Russia Probe Investigation

A federal grand jury has issued subpoenas to former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page as part of an expanding Justice Department investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The subpoenas were served Friday from the Southern District of Florida, where U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones is supervising the investigation. Law enforcement sources indicate up to 30 additional subpoenas will be issued in the coming days as the probe intensifies.

This development marks a significant escalation in the Justice Department’s efforts to examine how the original investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election was conducted and whether officials acted improperly.

Brennan, who headed the CIA during the Obama administration, has been under criminal investigation since earlier this year. CIA Director John Ratcliffe previously referred evidence of alleged wrongdoing by Brennan to FBI Director Kash Patel for potential prosecution, according to Department of Justice sources.

The investigation reportedly focuses on Brennan’s role in creating the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), which claimed Russia sought to influence the 2016 election to help then-candidate Donald Trump. A recently declassified “lessons learned” review found the ICA creation process was rushed with “procedural anomalies” and that officials diverted from intelligence standards.

Central to the investigation is whether Brennan made false statements to Congress about his role in including the controversial Steele dossier in the intelligence assessment. The dossier, commissioned by Fusion GPS and paid for by Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee, contained unverified and largely discredited claims about Trump.

While Brennan testified to the House Judiciary Committee in May 2023 that “the CIA was very much opposed to having any reference or inclusion of the Steele dossier in the Intelligence Community Assessment,” newly declassified documents show he actually pushed for its inclusion. According to the review, Brennan wrote, “my bottomline is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report,” despite objections from CIA officials who considered it “internet rumor.”

Strzok and Page, who first came under scrutiny in 2018 when anti-Trump text messages between them were uncovered by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, both served briefly on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team in 2017. Strzok, formerly the FBI’s deputy assistant director of counterintelligence, opened the FBI’s Russia investigation, codenamed “Crossfire Hurricane,” in July 2016. Page was an FBI lawyer who returned to the FBI’s Office of General Counsel in July 2017, while Strzok was later reassigned and eventually fired in August 2018.

The investigation also appears to be examining previously declassified information suggesting the Russia investigation may have been influenced by political motivations. In October 2020, then-DNI Ratcliffe declassified Brennan’s handwritten notes revealing that Brennan had briefed President Obama on July 28, 2016, about a plan from one of Clinton’s campaign foreign policy advisors “to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.”

Former FBI Director James Comey, who is also under criminal investigation, has already been charged with making false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. He has pleaded not guilty, with his trial expected to begin in January.

The Justice Department earlier this year formed a “strike force” to assess evidence publicized by current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard relating to former President Obama and his top officials’ alleged involvement in the origins of the Trump-Russia collusion narrative.

This investigation represents one of the most significant reviews of intelligence community conduct in recent years and could have far-reaching implications for how intelligence agencies operate during politically sensitive periods.