The Justice Department has withdrawn subpoenas issued in the investigation of former CIA Director John Brennan, with officials asking for voluntary interviews instead of testimony before a grand jury, two people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
A small handful of subpoenas were known to have been issued over the weekend for witnesses to appear before a grand jury in Washington. But investigators on Monday evening informed lawyers that the subpoenas were being withdrawn in favor of requests for voluntary interviews, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press to discuss developments in an ongoing investigation.
The reason for the reversal in course was not immediately known.
The months-old Brennan investigation is one of several criminal probes the Justice Department has opened over the last year against President Trump’s adversaries. It centers on the Trump-Russia collusion hoax that the Justice Department and U.S. intelligence community pursued during his 2016 campaign and his first term in the White House.
Mr. Brennan served as CIA director under President Barack Obama and was in that role when the intelligence community in January 2017 published an assessment detailing Russian interference aimed at helping Mr. Trump defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. An investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller concluded that Russia meddled on Mr. Trump’s behalf, but it did not find sufficient evidence to prove a criminal conspiracy.
The Justice Department last year received a criminal referral from Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, alleging that Mr. Brennan made false statements in 2023 about the preparation of the intelligence community assessment. Mr. Brennan and his lawyers have vigorously denied any wrongdoing and have called the investigation politically motivated.
The investigation has been led by prosecutors in Florida, with investigators lining up interviews and issuing subpoenas for records. The latest subpoenas seek grand jury testimony in Washington, an indication that prosecutors expect they would have to bring any criminal case in Washington since that is where Mr. Brennan’s testimony took place.
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