The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday referred former CIA Director John Brennan to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution for allegedly lying to Congress about the use of the debunked Steele Dossier in the Russiagate probe.
The committee sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi alleging that Brennan “knowingly made false statements during his transcribed interview before the Committee on the Judiciary on May 11, 2023.” It claims the former CIA director “made numerous willfully and intentionally false statements of material fact contradicted by the record established by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and the CIA.”
BREAKING: Former CIA Director John Brennan referred to the DOJ for criminal prosecution for allegedly lying to Congress pic.twitter.com/LqOxdUfQra
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 21, 2025
The letter states that “Brennan falsely denied that the CIA relied on the discredited Steele Dossier in drafting the post-election Intelligence Community Assessment.”
John Brennan referred to DOJ for criminal prosecution.
— C3 (@C_3C_3) October 21, 2025
Here’s the exact moment Brennan lied under oath denying the Dossier was used in the ICA.
The Russiagate documents Tulsi Gabbard released prove this 100%.
Now you know why he’s so nervous.
Whoops!pic.twitter.com/Ii8yyBXQNs
The dossier, commissioned by Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 campaign, contained a series of unsubstantiated and salacious claims about President Donald Trump. It was one of several sources used to deceive the public into believing Trump colluded with the Russian government to influence the outcome of the election.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard exposed Brennan’s alleged lie earlier this year when the department released a report showing that he insisted on including the content of the dossier in the ICA despite repeated protestations coming from intelligence analysts. Brennan has publicly claimed he did not support including the dossier in the report.
John Brennan lied to Congress.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) October 21, 2025
Today, we referred him to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution.
Read the full referral here: https://t.co/NG45lgFWgM pic.twitter.com/92BF4BUz4B
One analyst came forward to expose Brennan’s efforts to manipulate the intelligence. However, the Senate Intelligence Committee, headed by Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) silenced him. He was also threatened by staff working for then-DNI Director James Clapper, who insinuated he would be passed over for a promotion if he refused to back the agency’s false narrative about Trump colluding with the Kremlin.