Key prosecutor in John Brennan investigation has been removed from case,
AP source says
[April 18, 2026]
By ERIC TUCKER
WASHINGTON (AP) — A lead prosecutor in the John Brennan investigation
has been removed from the case after expressing concerns to Justice
Department officials about the legal strength of a potential criminal
prosecution of the former CIA director, a person familiar with the
matter said Friday.
Maria Medetis Long told defense lawyers involved in the investigation
that she was no longer participating in the Brennan investigation. Her
departure from the investigation came after she conveyed doubt that
there was sufficient evidence for a criminal case against Brennan, said
the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press
to discuss internal Justice Department conversations.
The Justice Department did not dispute that Medetis Long was no longer
part of the investigation but also did not elaborate on the
circumstances of her departure. The department said in a statement that
“as a matter of routine practice, attorneys are moved around on cases so
offices can most effectively allocate resources. It is completely
healthy and normal to change members of legal teams.”
CNN first reported Medetis Long's departure from the investigation. She
referred a request for comment to a spokesperson for her office, who did
not immediately provide a statement.
Medetis Long heads the national security section at the U.S. Attorney's
office for the Southern District of Florida, which for months has been
scrutinizing Brennan in connection with one of President Donald Trump's
chief grievances — the U.S. government's years-old investigation into
potential ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign for the White
House.
Brennan served as CIA director under President Barack Obama and was in
the position when the intelligence community published a detailed
assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The Justice Department last year received a referral from Rep. Jim
Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee,
asserting that Brennan had given false testimony about the preparation
of that assessment — a claim Brennan and his lawyers have vigorously
denied.
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Former CIA Director John Brennan arrives for a meeting at the
Capitol in Washington, May 21, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite,
File)
Investigators who in recent months have issued a flurry of subpoenas
have been preparing for additional interviews in the probe, though
it remains unclear whether any charges will be brought or what
impact Medetis Long's departure will have on the case or on
witnesses' willingness to cooperate.
Trump this month replaced Pam Bondi as his attorney general,
frustrated by the lack of progress in criminal investigations
against political opponents like Brennan.
Her deputy, Todd Blanche, is now acting attorney general and has
said that Trump has the right and duty to be involved in seeking
investigations against people he has had “issues with.”
Last year, Trump effectively forced out the acting U.S. attorney in
the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, after Siebert did
not push forward with criminal charges against two other Trump foes,
former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General
Letitia James. A hastily installed loyalist prosecutor, Lindsey
Halligan, subsequently secured indictments against Comey and James
but the cases were thrown out after a judge concluded that Halligan
was unlawfully appointed.
_____
Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington
contributed to this report.
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