Former CIA Director John Brennan has sued the Trump administration , asking a federal court to order the government to preserve records related to investigations into him as he prepares for the possibility of criminal charges he says would amount to political retaliation.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington on Tuesday, Brennan's attorneys argued that the administration has changed records-retention practices in ways that depart from longstanding norms and could jeopardize documents needed to challenge any future indictment.
The filing, reported by Axios, says officials are investigating Brennan for "phantom criminal conduct" and alleges a "consistent pattern of irregular conduct in this and other retribution cases."
"Given the government's questionable recent history with respect to its record preservation and other legal obligations," Brennan's attorneys wrote, he has "a well-founded concern" that records may not be preserved long enough for a court to review them for evidence of "unconstitutional vindictiveness."
The Justice Department declined to confirm whether Brennan is under investigation. "While we cannot comment on the existence, or lack thereof, of an investigation, it is certainly rich that John Brennan is accusing anyone of a 'retribution campaign,'" a department spokesperson told Axios.
In an interview with MS NOW on Wednesday, Brennan said the lawsuit is meant to protect both his reputation and others he believes could face similar treatment:
"Today's lawsuit, I think, sends a clear signal that I'm willing to fight this on behalf of my reputation and what I did, but also on behalf of so many others who are either currently in those cross hairs or will be soon"
He later added: "I told my lawyers, I don't want to sit on our hands because if he gets away with me, he's going to continue to do this against others."
Brennan said he has complied with subpoenas tied to grand jury investigations in the Southern District of Florida and accused President Donald Trump of using the Justice Department to punish perceived adversaries. "It's John Brennan today, but I think it's going to be many others tomorrow," he said.
The case comes amid broader scrutiny of Trump administration efforts targeting officials involved in investigations of the president from 2016 to 2024. CNN reported in May that prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida had disagreed internally over whether evidence supported charges against Brennan related to congressional testimony, and that a prosecutor who considered the case too weak was later removed from overseeing the matter.
Brennan, a frequent Trump critic, helped oversee the 2017 intelligence assessment concluding that Russia sought to help Trump win the 2016 election, a finding Trump has long disputed.
