Trump-Aligned Lawyer DiGenova Escalates Brennan Probe With Grand Jury Subpoenas
Trump-aligned lawyer Joseph DiGenova has been tapped to lead a Justice Department criminal probe into former CIA director John Brennan. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appointed DiGenova to oversee the investigation and to serve as his counselor in the Southern District of Florida. The probe traces to a 2025 referral from Republican Rep. Jim Jordan alleging Brennan lied about the CIA's use of the Steele dossier and other intelligence matters. Maria Medetis Long, the U.S. attorney's office prosecutor who had been leading the inquiry in Miami, was removed after saying she believed the evidence was insufficient to bring charges.
Federal investigators had already impaneled a Miami grand jury late last year and have issued subpoenas for intelligence-assessment records and witness testimony. Sources say subpoenas also compelled former senior intelligence and FBI officials to testify before a Washington, D.C., grand jury after many had first agreed to voluntary interviews. Legal experts called the sudden shift to compulsory grand-jury testimony unusual and noted it can reflect a more aggressive prosecutorial strategy. The FBI also plans to interview about six witnesses in the coming weeks as it ramps up the inquiry, Reuters reported. DiGenova's past role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his history of inflammatory comments have intensified public criticism of his appointment. His past calls for violence against former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) director Chris Krebs prompted an apology and a lawsuit, fueling online backlash.
Initial DOJ statements described Long's removal as routine personnel change, saying such shifts are "completely healthy and normal." Later reporting from CBS News and Fox, supported by MS NOW and Reuters details, shifted that narrative by revealing Long had questioned the strength of the evidence. That reporting also flagged the abrupt move from voluntary interviews to grand-jury subpoenas and suggested DiGenova may press the panel aggressively. The evolution of coverage underscores how new reporting can change perceptions about whether personnel moves reflect routine management or targeted efforts to advance a politically sensitive prosecution.
đ Key Facts
- The Justice Department has tapped conservative, Trump-aligned lawyer Joseph diGenova to oversee the criminal investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan; diGenova will serve as counselor to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
- The probe traces to a 2025 referral by Rep. Jim Jordan and the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee alleging Brennan lied to Congress about the CIA's handling of the Steele dossier and other aspects of the 2016 Russia interference assessment; Brennan has denied wrongdoing.
- Maria Medetis Long, the lead prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida, was removed from the case after she told superiors she believed there was insufficient evidence to bring charges; she emailed attorneys saying she would no longer work on the investigation and the DOJ called such personnel changes routine.
- A federal grand jury impaneled in Miami since late last year is part of the inquiry, and reporting also says former senior intelligence and FBI officials have been subpoenaed to testify before a Washington, D.C., grand jury; investigators have issued subpoenas seeking information tied to intelligence assessments of Russian interference in 2016.
- Many subpoenaed witnesses â including former U.S. intelligence officials â had previously agreed to voluntary interviews with FBI agents and prosecutors; those voluntary sessions have in many cases been replaced by compulsory grand jury testimony, a shift legal experts say is unusual.
- Reuters and other outlets report the FBI is ramping up the Brennan probe and plans to interview about six witnesses in the coming weeks; CBS and other sources say several subpoenas were issued shortly after diGenova's appointment.
- DiGenova has a public record of advancing 2020 'stolen election' claims and making inflammatory statements (including threats directed at former CISA director Chris Krebs); he has repeatedly accused Brennan of colluding with the FBI and DOJ to 'frame' Trump, and critics say his appointment and the aggressive use of grand-jury subpoenas echo prior instances of installing loyalists to pursue politically sensitive targets.
- The Southern District's prosecutorial team has expanded as the case 'heats up,' with additions including former Judge Aileen Cannon's law clerk, Chris DeLorenz.
đ° Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.