The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday referred John Brennan, the former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to the U.S. Department of Justice for potential criminal prosecution, alleging he lied to Congress about the use of the Steele dossier in the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
According to the referral letter from Chairman Jim?Jordan (R-Ohio), Brennan is accused of “willfully and intentionally” making materially false statements in his May 11, 2023, testimony, including claims that the CIA was not involved with the dossier and opposed its inclusion in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA).
The letter points to newly declassified documents indicating that the CIA, under Brennan’s direction, played a significant role in including the dossier’s content in the ICA — contradicting his testimony.
While such congressional referrals do not guarantee prosecution, the DOJ can now review the evidence and determine whether to bring charges under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, which prohibits knowingly false statements to Congress.
Here’s the moment in question when Brennan allegedly fibbed in a very illegal manner (and see if you can spot our current FBI director in the background – remembering, of course, how many Democrats claimed he wasn’t ‘qualified’ for the position):
The dossier, commissioned by Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful 2016 campaign, included a series of unverified and sensational claims about President Donald Trump. It was one of several sources that misled the public into believing that Trump had colluded with the Russian government to influence the election’s outcome.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revealed earlier this year that Brennan allegedly lied. This came to light when the department released a report indicating that he insisted on including the content of the dossier in the ICA, despite numerous objections from intelligence analysts. Brennan has publicly asserted that he did not support including the dossier in the report.
One analyst stepped forward to reveal Brennan’s attempts to manipulate intelligence. However, the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), silenced him. He was also threatened by staff members working for then-Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, who implied that he would be overlooked for a promotion if he did not support the agency’s false narrative about Trump colluding with the Kremlin.
It’s very possible that Clapper is going to be next on the indictment list. We can only hope.
