In reversal, Justice Department withdraws subpoenas in John Brennan investigation, AP sources say

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has withdrawn subpoenas issued in the investigation of former CIA Director John Brennan, with officials asking for voluntary interviews instead of testimony before a grand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 But investigators on Monday evening informed lawyers that the subpoenas were being withdrawn in favor of requests for voluntary interviews, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press to discuss developments in an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 Donald Trump’s perceived adversaries. It centers on one of the Republican president’s chief grievances — a U.S. intelligence community finding that Russia interfered on his behalf during his successful 2016 presidential campaign.

The subpoenas were issued after a shake-up in the Justice Department team leading the investigation. A career national security prosecutor in Florida who had been handling the inquiry recently left the case after expressing doubt about the legal viability of a potential criminal prosecution, according to another person familiar with the matter.

The Justice Department on Monday installed a Trump loyalist, Joe diGenova, who served as U.S. attorney in Washington during the Reagan administration, as a counselor to the attorney general who will now work on the Brennan investigation. The 81-year-old former prosecutor supported Trump's failed legal campaign to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election and has also been an outspoken critic of Trump foes like Brennan, saying in a television interview years ago that the former CIA director was “at the head” of a conspiracy to falsely link Trump to Russia.

At an unrelated news conference on Tuesday, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche brushed aside questions about whether diGenova's past comments could create a conflict of interest and leave him susceptible to claims of bias.

“The mere fact that he has spoken about his perception — he didn’t have access to grand jury information, he didn’t have access to witnesses. And so, like any prosecutor, I expect that he will follow the facts. And those facts come from witnesses and grand jury information,” Blanche said.

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 Trump defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. An investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller concluded that Russia meddled on Trump’s behalf and that his campaign welcomed the assistance, 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 Brennan made false statements in 2023 about the preparation of the intelligence community assessment. 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 sought grand jury testimony in Washington, a possible indication that prosecutors believe they might need to bring any criminal case in Washington, where Brennan’s testimony took place.