The Daily Fuckup

John Brennan has gone to federal court to try to lock down the paper trail around two Justice Department investigations into him before any charging decision is made. In a complaint filed July 1 in Washington, Brennan asks a judge to order the government to preserve records and communications he says could matter if he later challenges any indictment as vindictive or selective prosecution.

The filing names President Donald Trump, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones, Joseph diGenova, the Justice Department, the CIA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Executive Office of the President. Brennan’s lawyers say the records could be crucial if a case is brought later and a court needs to examine what drove the investigation and any charging decision.

The complaint says Justice Department officials have opened two criminal inquiries involving Brennan: one described as a so-called grand conspiracy probe and another tied to a referral over alleged false statements. Brennan’s filing argues that if charges ever come, internal records and communications could help show whether prosecutors acted for legitimate law-enforcement reasons or under political pressure. The complaint says Trump has made more than 100 statements since 2017 criticizing Brennan, and Brennan’s lawyers want those statements and related government records preserved now.

The suit does not ask the court to block an indictment. It is a preservation request aimed at preventing records from disappearing before any later court can review them. Brennan’s lawyers say they want to make sure the evidence exists if he eventually fights a criminal case on constitutional grounds.