John Brennan's Legal Team Accuses DOJ of Judge Shopping

Tue Dec 23 2025 03:56:12 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Former CIA Director John Brennan's lawyers plead to prevent the DOJ from assigning a 'favored' judge in Florida to oversee his investigation. Concerns rise over potential biases linked to past rulings in Trump's favor.

Lawyers representing former CIA Director John Brennan are contesting the Justice Department's attempts to steer his criminal investigation to a judge in Florida who has historically favored Donald Trump. Brennan's team argues that the case should be handled by a neutral judge, citing concerns over a bias due to favorable past rulings that dismissed Trump-related charges. Brennan and other former officials are under investigation for their roles in the Obama administration's intelligence assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 election, and Brennan's lawyers are seeking clarity on the appropriateness of the Florida venue for this inquiry.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for former CIA Director John Brennan are requesting that the Justice Department be blocked from directing an investigation towards a 'favored' judge in Florida, specifically citing U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, known for favoring Donald Trump in past litigations.

The motion submitted to Chief Judge Cecilia Altonaga involves a criminal investigation regarding Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which has now shifted towards former government officials including Brennan. Legal representatives assert that Brennan has been subpoenaed and deemed a target of this investigation.

Brennan's team is accusing the Justice Department of 'judge-shopping' to align the case to Judge Cannon, who previously dismissed charges related to Trump. In their request, they urge Altonaga to utilize her supervisory authority to maintain an unbiased judicial process.

We seek assurance that this grand jury’s case will be heard by a judge engaged through neutral court processes and not via biased maneuvers by the prosecution, Brennan’s attorneys wrote.

It remains ambiguous what exact charge the authorities in Florida believe has been violated, as subpoenas sought information concerning the intelligence community’s assessment released by the Obama administration, which documented Russia's efforts to aid Trump's campaign.

Although Trump was investigated during his presidency for allegations of collusion with Russia, he was never charged. Over the years, he has pursued retaliatory actions against officials involved in the investigations.

Brennan's team expressed skepticism about the appropriateness of Florida serving as the venue for this investigation, given that the assessment was attributed to officials working in Washington, D.C. Moreover, they raised concerns about the Justice Department's intentions to relocate the case to a division with a single judge — Cannon — as they argued that this suggested an underhanded attempt to control the case's judicial handling.

The efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s office to funnel this investigation towards a judge who has consistently issued rulings in favor of President Trump should be recognized for what they truly are, the attorneys concluded in their letter.