Trump DOJ Adds Loyalists To Brennan Probe, Sparking Bias Concerns
On May 19, 2026, the Justice Department installed multiple Trump allies on the Miami-area criminal probe of former CIA director John Brennan, moves DOJ veterans say raise fresh concerns about political bias.[1]
Last month the department removed the senior career prosecutor overseeing the Brennan case after she raised concerns about the strength of the evidence.[1] On May 19, 2026, Joseph DiGenova's wife, Victoria Toensing, was sworn in as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida and is reported to be working on both the false-statement and the grand-conspiracy probes.[1]
The Miami-area U.S. Attorney's Office is running two Brennan inquiries: alleged false statements to Congress in 2023 and a broader grand-conspiracy case that a federal grand jury in Ft. Pierce is hearing.[1] Fort Pierce has only one district judge, Aileen Cannon, which makes her the likely trial judge if charges are brought, a fact that critics say raises additional conflict concerns.
FBI agents Rose Marketos and Jack Eckenrode and line prosecutor Chris DeLorenz have also been detailed to the team, and internal critics note their past ties to Trump-aligned figures and limited prosecutorial experience as troubling for the probe's independence.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- The Brennan investigation is being run out of the Miami-area U.S. Attorney's Office and involves two probes: alleged false statements to Congress in 2023 and a broader 'grand conspiracy' case involving Obama- and Biden-era officials.
- Last month, DOJ removed the senior career prosecutor overseeing the Brennan case after she raised concerns about the strength of the evidence, and replaced her with Trump ally Joseph DiGenova.
- On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, DiGenova's wife, Victoria Toensing, was sworn in as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida and is working on the Brennan and grand-conspiracy cases, according to a source.
- FBI agents Rose Marketos and Jack Eckenrode, both associated with Kash Patel's Director's Advisory Team, are assigned to the probes; Marketos once pursued a theory about Italian satellites hacking U.S. voting machines, and Eckenrode was involved in a failed prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey.
- Line prosecutor Chris DeLorenz, who previously clerked for Judge Aileen Cannon during the Trump classified-documents case, has joined the team despite limited prosecutorial experience, after serving in the deputy attorney general's office.
- A federal grand jury in Ft. Pierce, Florida, where Judge Cannon is the only district judge, is hearing the 'grand conspiracy' case, making her the likely trial judge if charges are filed.
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