WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a dramatic escalation of President Donald Trump’s retribution campaign against perceived deep-state adversaries, the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday referred former CIA Director John Brennan to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution, alleging he “knowingly made false statements” to Congress about his role in the Russia collusion investigation. The 51-page report, led by Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), accuses Brennan of perjuring himself during a May 2023 transcribed interview, claiming the CIA had “no involvement” in the discredited Steele dossier despite declassified evidence showing otherwise.
The referral, sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi, spotlights Brennan’s testimony denying the agency’s push to include the dossier—a collection of unverified claims about Trump’s Russia ties—in the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). Newly declassified documents from July 2025 reveal Brennan overrode senior CIA officials’ objections, insisting on its inclusion because it “rang true” despite lacking substantiation. “Brennan’s brazen attempt to testify falsely to material facts cannot stand,” Jordan wrote, citing a 2020 House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence report that contradicts his claims. The move revives scrutiny of the ICA, ordered by outgoing President Barack Obama, which fueled years of Mueller probe drama.
Brennan, 70, a vocal Trump critic since his 2017 ouster, blasted the referral as “political theater” on CNN, vowing to fight it as “MAGA vengeance.” “This is not about truth—it’s about settling scores,” he said, echoing defenses from allies like former FBI Director James Comey, whose own indictment faces vindictive prosecution challenges. Democrats decried it as “witch-hunt escalation,” with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer—fresh from his 51-46 shutdown defeat—calling it “authoritarian abuse” amid 515,000 deportations and OMB freezes like Chicago’s $2.1 billion gutting.
Trump, reveling at Mar-a-Lago, praised the action on Truth Social: “Brennan lied bigly—justice coming!” The referral, while not guaranteeing charges, aligns with DOJ probes into Comey, Clapper, and McCabe, signaling a “revenge tour” bolstered by Trump’s 77 million-vote mandate. Legal experts predict courtroom battles testing selective prosecution doctrines, but with a “red tsunami” forecasted for 2026, Brennan’s saga underscores a polarized era: Accountability or autocracy? As one GOP aide quipped, “The dossier’s dead—now its architect joins it.”
