Ex-CIA director John Brennan wants ‘favored’ Trump judge kept away from Justice Department inquiry
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers former CIA Director John Brennan We want the Ministry of Justice to be prevented from directing an issue investigation about him and other former government officials to a “preferred” judge. Florida WHO dismissed secret documents case against President Donald Trump.
The request was sent Monday to U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga, the chief judge of the Southern District of Florida, where federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the incident. US government assessment Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. Brennan and other officials have been subpoenaed, and Brennan’s attorney said he was informed by prosecutors that he was a target of the investigation.
Brennan’s lawyers say the Justice Department is “judge shopping” and trying to arrange for the case to be heard by the court. U.S. District Judge Aileen CannonHe is the person who gave favorable rulings to Trump in the classified documents case and dismissed the case last year. The letter asks Altonaga to use his “supervisory authority” as chief judge to ensure that the Justice Department cannot divert the current election interference investigation to his courtroom.
“In short, we seek assurance that any case arising from the grand jury process will be heard by a judge selected by the impartial and impartial processes of the court and not by the prosecution’s self-serving maneuvers contrary to the interests of justice,” wrote Brennan’s attorneys, Kenneth Wainstein and Natasha Harnwell-Davis. The New York Times had previously reported on the letter.
It remains unclear what crime prosecutors in Florida believe was committed, but subpoenas sent to Brennan and other former law enforcement and intelligence officials last month sought documents related to the preparation of the investigation. Obama administration intelligence community assessment, That document, made public in January 2017, detailed how Russia waged a covert influence campaign to help Trump defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
During his first term, Trump was investigated but not charged over whether his campaign conspired with Russia to influence the election outcome. He had long sought revenge against the Russia investigation and the officials who played key roles in it.
The Ministry of Justice provided an assurance in September Allegation of misrepresentation and obstruction Against James Comey, who was FBI director when the Russia investigation was launched, although the case against him was dismissed and its future is in doubt due to a judge’s decision that blocks prosecutors from accessing material they consider important evidence.
Brennan’s lawyers say the Trump administration’s Justice Department is trying to “forum shop” its investigation into multiple jurisdictions. PennsylvaniaBefore settling in Florida. But prosecutors say they were unable to answer basic questions about why Florida was an appropriate location for the investigation because the intelligence community assessment in question was prepared by officials in the United States. Washington, D.C.area.
The grand jury investigation is currently being conducted in the Miami division of the Southern District of Florida, but Brennan’s attorneys say they are concerned the Trump administration may be ready to transfer the case to the smaller Fort Pierce division, where Cannon is the sole judge. They cited the Justice Department’s decision to empanel an additional grand jury in Fort Pierce, despite the apparent lack of need for a caseload, as the basis for this alarm.
“The United States Attorney’s efforts to transfer this investigation to the judge, who has issued a series of decisions that have consistently supported President Trump’s positions in prior cases, must be viewed as such,” Brennan’s attorneys wrote.
