FBI Opens Criminal Investigations into Brennan and Comey Over Alleged Role in Steele Dossier and Trump-Russia Probe
by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – The FBI has launched criminal investigations into former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey over their alleged roles in promoting the discredited Steele Dossier during the 2016 presidential transition, sources familiar with the matter told Fox News.
According to Justice Department sources, the investigation into Brennan stems from newly declassified CIA documents that contradict his sworn testimony before Congress in 2023. Brennan told the House Judiciary Committee that he played no part in including the Steele Dossier in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). However, the CIA’s own internal review—declassified last week by CIA Director John Ratcliffe—concluded that Brennan advocated for the dossier’s inclusion despite clear objections from senior intelligence officials.
Ratcliffe, who has long criticized the politicization of intelligence under the Obama administration, referred evidence of Brennan’s alleged misconduct to FBI Director Kash Patel, prompting the bureau to open a criminal investigation. The scope of the probe reportedly includes potential false statements to Congress and violations of intelligence community procedures.
Meanwhile, the FBI has also opened a separate investigation into Comey, though details remain scarce. Two DOJ sources described the matter as involving potential “conspiracy” with Brennan to insert the Steele Dossier into the intelligence record, thereby influencing the perception of then President-elect Donald Trump.
Neither Brennan nor Comey has commented publicly on the reported investigations, and both the FBI and CIA declined to issue statements.
Declassified Findings Undermine Obama-Era Intelligence
The declassified review of the 2017 ICA revealed troubling irregularities. It concluded that the decision to incorporate the Steele Dossier, which was funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee through opposition research firm Fusion GPS, violated basic intelligence tradecraft and undermined the report’s credibility.
Notably, a newly declassified internal CIA email from December 2016 warned Brennan that including the dossier could damage the assessment’s integrity. Despite this, Brennan pushed for its inclusion, writing, “my bottomline is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report.” This conflicts directly with his 2023 testimony stating that “the CIA was very much opposed” to including the dossier.
Comey, too, reportedly pressed to include the dossier. Although it was ultimately relegated to an annex in the final ICA, its influence helped shape public perception and was later used to obtain controversial FISA warrants against Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
Political Motives and Intelligence Failures
The investigations add weight to prior findings by Special Counsel John Durham, who concluded that the FBI launched “Crossfire Hurricane,” its Trump-Russia probe, based on inadequate and politically tainted intelligence. Durham also found the FBI ignored warnings that the Clinton campaign was seeking to manipulate federal law enforcement for political gain—a plan allegedly briefed to President Obama by Brennan himself in July 2016.
That intelligence, now declassified, stated that Hillary Clinton approved a plan to tie Trump to Russian hackers to distract from the scandal over her private email server. Brennan’s own handwritten notes, and a CIA counterintelligence memo to Comey and FBI agent Peter Strzok, confirmed this.
Despite the sweeping nature of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s subsequent two-year investigation, no criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia was ever proven.
White House Responds: “Trump Was Right Again”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the reports with strong condemnation of Obama-era officials.
“President Trump was right — again,” she said. “Those who engaged in this political scandal must be held accountable for the fraud they committed against President Trump and the lies they told to the American people.”
While Brennan and Comey have yet to publicly respond, legal experts say the ongoing investigations could lead to serious consequences if charges are brought—especially given the evidence of conflicting statements and apparent coordination in promoting false intelligence during a pivotal moment in U.S. history.
Background: Steele Dossier’s Collapse
The Steele Dossier, authored by former British spy Christopher Steele, alleged that Donald Trump conspired with Russian officials. But the claims were later found to have “limited corroboration” and were dismissed as “internet rumor” by CIA analysts at the time. The DOJ Inspector General’s 2019 report detailed significant errors in the FBI’s FISA applications that relied heavily on Steele’s unsupported claims.
The political origins of the dossier, as well as its inclusion in U.S. intelligence reports, have fueled years of controversy. Now, with federal investigations into the two men most responsible for its promotion, the dossier may return to center stage—this time as evidence in a criminal probe.
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