Photo: NPS/Tom Engberg | Public domain | Wikimedia Commons
DOJ Pulls Back Brennan Grand Jury Subpoenas After Career Prosecutor Is Removed
The Justice Department pulled back Washington grand jury subpoenas after removing the lead prosecutor in the John Brennan investigation. The subpoenas were rescinded Monday night after being issued only days earlier, according to people familiar with the matter. A federal grand jury has been impaneled in Miami since late last year for the inquiry, which stems from a 2025 referral by Representative Jim Jordan alleging false statements.
Career Miami prosecutor Maria Medetis Long was removed after she told supervisors she doubted there was enough evidence to charge Brennan. The Justice Department said such personnel moves were "completely healthy and normal." Officials installed Joseph DiGenova as a special counselor to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to oversee the probe, and former Judge Aileen Cannon law clerk Christopher-James DeLorenz joined the team. DiGenova is a well-known Trump ally whose past public attacks and 2020 election claims have drawn intense criticism and social media alarm about politicizing the Justice Department. Some reporting says investigators planned to interview about six witnesses, while Associated Press and other outlets said at least three witnesses in Washington had been subpoenaed. After the subpoena pullback, FBI agents told lawyers they preferred experienced agents conduct voluntary interviews before any more grand jury steps.
Initial coverage from outlets such as CBS and Fox portrayed the removal as a routine personnel change and highlighted continued investigative activity. Later reporting by the New York Times and MS NOW unearthed broader internal DOJ doubts about the strength of the case and described the subpoena rescissions as a significant reconsideration. The evolution matters because it shifts the frame from routine staffing to apparent legal caution inside Main Justice amid political pressure from Republican lawmakers.
Justice Department and FBI
Trump-Russia Investigations
Congressional Oversight and Perjury Probes
Department of Justice and Trump-Era Probes
John Brennan Investigation
This story is compiled from 8 sources using AI-assisted curation and analysis. Original reporting is attributed below. Learn about our methodology.
📌 Key Facts
- The probe into former CIA director John Brennan stems from a 2025 criminal referral by Rep. Jim Jordan alleging Brennan lied to Congress in 2023 about the 2017 U.S. intelligence community assessment (including questions about use of the Steele dossier); Brennan denies wrongdoing.
- A federal grand jury has been impaneled in Miami since late last year for the Brennan-related inquiry, and prosecutors recently issued additional grand jury subpoenas in Washington, D.C., seeking testimony from former government and intelligence officials about the Obama administration’s decision to investigate Russian interference in 2016.
- The Justice Department began withdrawing several Washington, D.C., grand jury subpoenas that had been issued only days earlier; witnesses and their counsel were notified they no longer needed to comply, effectively halting compelled testimony in D.C.
- Joseph DiGenova, an 81-year-old conservative, long-time Trump ally with a history of promoting 2020 election conspiracy theories and making controversial statements, was sworn in as special counselor to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and tapped to oversee the Brennan criminal investigation; the subpoenas were pulled back shortly after his appointment while Main Justice and the special counselor consulted on next steps.
- Maria Medetis Long, a career national-security prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida who had been overseeing the Brennan probe (and had agreed weeks earlier to assist Miami U.S. Attorney Jason Quinones), was removed after telling supervisors she believed there was not sufficient evidence to charge Brennan; she notified attorneys she would no longer work on the investigation.
- Christopher-James (Chris) DeLorenz, a former aide in Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office and ex-clerk to Judge Aileen Cannon with limited federal prosecution experience, remains on the prosecutorial team.
- Many of the witnesses who received subpoenas had previously agreed to voluntary interviews; after the subpoenas were issued and then rescinded, FBI agents told lawyers they now prefer experienced agents conduct voluntary interviews before any further grand jury questioning — a shift legal experts described as unusual — and Reuters/CBS reported the FBI plans to interview about six witnesses, including former intelligence officials.
- Reporting from the New York Times and others described broader unease inside DOJ about the strength of the evidence and legal risks of pursuing charges against Brennan beyond Medetis Long’s objections; the department issued an on-the-record statement calling personnel changes “completely healthy and normal” and “routine practice.”
📰 Source Timeline (8)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
April 21, 2026
8:20 PM
U.S. Abruptly Rescinds Subpoenas in John Brennan Inquiry
New information:
- The New York Times provides more granular detail on which subpoenas were withdrawn, including that several Washington, D.C., grand jury subpoenas were abruptly rescinded after being served.
- The article adds internal DOJ context on how and when the decision was made to pull back the subpoenas, including the sequence of consultations between Main Justice and the special counselor.
- The Times expands on concerns inside DOJ about the strength of the evidence against Brennan and the legal risks of pressing ahead, going beyond earlier accounts centered on Maria Medetis Long's objections.
- The piece details how witnesses and their counsel were notified that they no longer needed to comply with certain subpoenas, underscoring the practical halt in compelled testimony in Washington.
- The story further documents the political backdrop, including Republican pressure from Rep. Jim Jordan and allies to keep the case alive, and how that contrasts with DOJ unease about pursuing charges.
7:06 PM
Subpoenas were issued in probe of Russia ‘conspiracy,’ then DOJ clawed them back, sources say
New information:
- DOJ began withdrawing several Washington, D.C., grand jury subpoenas Monday night that had been issued only days earlier in the Brennan 'grand conspiracy' probe.
- The withdrawn subpoenas had ordered former government and intelligence officials to testify about the Obama administration’s decision to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election.
- Career Miami prosecutor Maria Medetis Long was removed from overseeing the Brennan probe after telling supervisors she believed there was not sufficient evidence to charge Brennan.
- Remaining prosecutor Christopher-James DeLorenz, a former aide in Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office and ex-clerk to Judge Aileen Cannon, has limited federal prosecution experience.
- Newly installed leader Joe DiGenova, described as a staunch Trump ally, agreed to pull back the subpoenas to reconsider the timing and method of obtaining witness accounts.
- FBI agents told witnesses’ lawyers that investigators now prefer experienced FBI agents to conduct voluntary interviews before any further grand jury questioning.
April 20, 2026
7:25 PM
AP sources: Witnesses subpoenaed to testify before D.C. grand jury in John Brennan investigation
New information:
- Associated Press reports DOJ has subpoenaed at least three witnesses to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in the Brennan investigation.
- Article confirms the latest subpoenas seek grand jury testimony in Washington because Brennan's 2023 testimony that is under scrutiny occurred there.
- AP adds that former national security prosecutor Maria Medetis Long was removed after expressing doubts about the legal viability of a prosecution.
- The piece reports that Joseph diGenova, 81, has been sworn in in Florida as special counselor to the attorney general and is expected to work on the Brennan investigation.
- AP reiterates the probe stems from a criminal referral by Rep. Jim Jordan alleging Brennan made false statements about the 2017 intelligence community assessment on Russian interference.
2:42 PM
Witnesses in criminal probe of ex-CIA Director Brennan subpoenaed, sources say
New information:
- Former senior intelligence and FBI officials cooperating with the DOJ probe have now been subpoenaed to testify before a Washington, D.C. grand jury.
- The subpoenas were issued shortly after Joe DiGenova was appointed to take over the Brennan criminal investigation.
- Many subpoenaed witnesses had previously agreed to voluntary interviews with FBI agents and prosecutors, which have now been replaced by compulsory grand jury testimony.
- Legal experts told CBS it is unusual to abruptly switch cooperating witnesses from voluntary interviews to direct grand jury testimony.
- Sources suggest DiGenova may be seeking to use the grand jury aggressively after Washington juries have increasingly declined to indict in politically sensitive cases.
April 19, 2026
3:08 PM
Trump ally diGenova tapped to lead DOJ probe into Brennan over Russia probe origins
New information:
- Fox report, citing the New York Times, reiterates that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche tapped Joseph diGenova to oversee the Brennan investigation.
- Clarifies that a federal grand jury has been impaneled in Miami since late last year for the Brennan-related inquiry.
- Reports that federal investigators have issued subpoenas for information tied to intelligence assessments of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
- Notes Maria Medetis Long had been handling a false-statements probe into Brennan plus broader conspiracy angles before her ouster.
- Reiterates diGenova's past public accusations that Brennan colluded with the FBI and DOJ to frame Trump, which have not produced charges.
April 18, 2026
8:02 PM
Lawyer who led effort to overturn 2020 election will oversee probe of ex-CIA director
New information:
- Justice Department has tapped conservative attorney and Trump ally Joseph DiGenova to oversee the criminal investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan from the Southern District of Florida.
- DiGenova will serve as counselor to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche while leading the Brennan probe.
- A source told CBS News that Maria Medetis Long was removed from the case after she expressed concerns about the strength of the evidence.
- The article details DiGenova's history as a Trump campaign lawyer who advanced 2020 'stolen election' conspiracy theories and called for former CISA director Chris Krebs to be 'drawn and quartered' and 'shot,' comments that led to an apology and lawsuit.
- The Brennan investigation stems from an October referral by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee chaired by Jim Jordan, alleging Brennan lied about the CIA's use of the Steele dossier in the 2016 Russia assessment.
- CBS notes the case has been 'heating up' with continued witness interviews and that former Judge Aileen Cannon law clerk Chris DeLorenz has joined the prosecutorial team in the Southern District of Florida.
- The piece draws a parallel to a prior instance in which Trump ousted the top prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia and installed a loyalist after concerns about evidence in cases targeting James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
April 17, 2026
9:45 PM
DOJ removes top prosecutor who questioned case against former CIA director John Brennan
New information:
- Identifies the lead prosecutor as Maria Medetis Long of the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of Florida.
- Reports she told superiors she believed there was not ample justification to bring criminal charges against John Brennan.
- Says she had agreed weeks earlier to help Miami U.S. Attorney Jason Quinones probe alleged law violations tied to how the Obama DOJ opened the Russia-interference investigation.
- Clarifies the probe stems from a 2025 referral by Rep. Jim Jordan alleging Brennan made false statements to Congress in 2023.
- Notes Medetis Long emailed attorneys on Thursday stating she would no longer be working on the investigation.
- Includes an on-the-record DOJ statement calling such personnel changes 'completely healthy and normal' and 'routine practice.'
- Adds Reuters reporting that the FBI is ramping up the Brennan probe and plans to interview about six witnesses, including former U.S. intelligence officials, in coming weeks.
- Reiterates that Brennan has denied wrongdoing and ties the case to scrutiny of the 2017 intelligence assessment on Russian interference helping Trump.