The U.S. Justice Department has removed the career federal prosecutor leading the investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, reportedly due to her resistance to pressure for a swift indictment. Maria Medetis Long was reassigned after signaling that charges might be months away, a timeline deemed unacceptable by senior Justice Department officials. The investigation focuses on allegations that Brennan lied to Congress about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The U.S. Justice Department has reassigned the career federal prosecutor overseeing the investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan . Maria Medetis Long, who was leading the inquiry in Miami, was reportedly removed after expressing reservations about the expediency of bringing charges against Brennan, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump.
Sources close to the matter indicated that Medetis Long informed the involved parties on Friday that she was no longer assigned to the case. She had been at the helm of this politically charged investigation for several months, during which time President Trump had publicly urged for Brennan's prosecution, along with that of other perceived adversaries.
The investigation into Brennan is reportedly centered on the 2017 intelligence community assessment that concluded Russia had interfered in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Trump, a long-standing grievance for the president.
It is suggested that dissatisfaction with the pace of investigations and the prosecution of cases desired by the administration played a role in the decision to move Medetis Long. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is understood to have intensified efforts to comply with the president's demands, particularly following the recent ouster of former Attorney General Bondi.
The U.S. Attorney's office in Miami, headed by Jason Reding Quiñones, has not yet provided a comment on the matter. CNN has also reached out to Medetis Long for her perspective. A Justice Department spokesperson stated that reassigning attorneys on cases is a standard procedure designed to optimize resource allocation within offices.
This development comes at a time when investigators have recently conducted further witness interviews and issued new subpoenas, indicating continued progress in the case, albeit not at the accelerated pace that senior Justice Department officials have apparently sought.
Career prosecutors and investigators involved in the Brennan probe have, for an extended period, resisted pressure to expedite charges against Brennan. They have conveyed to Justice Department leadership their assessment that the case may not be particularly strong. Despite these reservations, efforts to potentially bring the case before federal court in Washington, D.C. have persisted.
Sources indicate that the investigation has also been examining aspects related to congressional inquiries and that Brennan's legal team has been preparing for a potential indictment for some time. Recent meetings between Justice Department officials and Quiñones, along with other members of his office, were reportedly held to discuss the investigation's status.
Quiñones is said to have informed officials that charges could still be months away, a timeline that senior Justice Department figures apparently deemed unacceptable. Prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, where Medetis Long serves as the National Security Section Chief, are reportedly focusing on allegations that Brennan provided false statements to Congress regarding the aforementioned intelligence assessment from years past.
Brennan had informed House investigators in 2017 that Russia had overtly interfered in U.S. elections, including by making contact with members of Trump's campaign, though he refrained from using the term collusion. While a subsequent investigation into Russian election interference did not establish that the Trump campaign or its associates conspired with Russia, nor did it definitively conclude that Trump committed obstruction of justice, it did not fully exonerate the president.
John Brennan Justice Department Trump Administration Election Interference Prosecution
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