Criminal referrals On July 2, 2025, the
CIA released an assessment that criticized the agency's previous leadership for
Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections, which concluded that Russia worked to aid Trump's victory in 2016 and that the Trump campaign welcomed and cooperated with those Russian efforts. Then-director
John O. Brennan was alleged to have been overzealous in controlling information and improperly overseeing the effort, but the assessment did not dispute the previous findings that Russia favored Trump in the 2016 election. On July 8,
Fox News reported that the
United States Department of Justice was examining actions taken by Brennan and Comey. According to
The New York Times,
John Ratcliffe, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, referred Brennan to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation for criminal prosecution over statements he made to the
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; Brennan's testimony, then over seven years old, appeared to exceed the
statute of limitations for possible charges. On July 18, the
Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report alleging a "treasonous conspiracy" by
Democrats to damage Trump. The assessment based its findings on internal statements that Russian officials did not manipulate votes; investigations into Russian interference focused on influence operations.
Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, called for administration officials—including Brennan, Comey, and
James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, who were named explicitly—to be referred to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution. Gabbard stated on
Fox Business days later that she would formally refer officials to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On July 23, she released a declassified version of the
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence's report on Russian interference, drafted in 2017. Hours later, the Department of Justice announced a strike force to examine Gabbard's allegations.
The Washington Post later reported that Gabbard had gone against CIA officials in releasing the report.
Grand jury inquiry and broader mandate On August 4, attorney general
Pam Bondi directed prosecutors to open a grand jury investigation into the accusations. That month, the Department of Justice broadened its inquiry into whether officials in the
Biden administration, including the deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Paul Abbate, attempted to conceal the alleged misdeeds of Comey and Brennan. By September, the inquiry into Brennan had stalled after Gabbard executed a purge of officials. ==Responses==