Case Intel

1. House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan has formally accused former CIA Director John Brennan of lying under oath to Congress and referred him to the Department of Justice for prosecution under 18 U.S.C. §1001.
2. Jordan’s referral letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi states that Brennan “knowingly made false statements” about the CIA’s use of the discredited Steele dossier in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment.
3. The Department of Justice must now determine whether to open a criminal investigation into Brennan’s alleged perjury before the House Judiciary Committee.

By Samuel Lopez | USA Herald

WASHINGTON, DC - In a stunning turn of events that could mark the most serious legal reckoning yet for a former top U.S. intelligence official, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, on October 21, 2025, issued a formal criminal referral to Attorney General Pamela J. Bondi accusing former CIA Director John Brennan of lying to Congress. The referral cites “significant evidence that former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan knowingly made false statements during his transcribed interview before the Committee on the Judiciary on May 11, 2023.”

Jordan and his colleagues wrote that Brennan “made numerous willfully and intentionally false statements of material fact contradicted by the record established by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and the CIA.” The letter makes clear that Brennan’s alleged deception wasn’t trivial—it struck at the core of congressional oversight. “Making false statements before Congress is a crime that undermines the integrity of the Committee’s constitutional duty to conduct oversight,” Jordan emphasized in the referral.

At the heart of the criminal referral is Brennan’s repeated denial that the CIA had any involvement with or reliance upon the now-discredited Steele dossier in drafting the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) titled Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections. During sworn testimony, Brennan claimed “the CIA was not involved at all with the [Steele] dossier,” adding that “it was their [the FBI’s] purview, their area, not ours at all.”

But declassified materials contradict that account. The referral cites evidence showing the CIA “drafted the annex containing a summary of the dossier,” and that the “decision to incorporate information from the Steele dossier in the ICA was jointly made by the Directors of CIA and FBI.” In other words, Brennan personally approved the dossier’s inclusion.

Jordan’s letter points to additional statements that contradict Brennan’s testimony. During his 2023 interview, Brennan insisted “the CIA was very much opposed to having any reference or inclusion of the Steele dossier in the Intelligence Community Assessment.” Yet, according to a declassified CIA memorandum, Brennan “disregarded”objections from two CIA mission center leaders who identified “specific flaws” in the dossier. The memo states that Brennan “appeared more swayed by the [d]ossier’s general conformity with existing theories than by legitimate tradecraft concerns.”

In his own handwriting, Brennan reportedly wrote, “my bottom-line is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report.” The House Intelligence Committee’s 2020 oversight report confirmed this, noting that Brennan “had to order [the dossier] included over the objections of [CIA] professionals.” When CIA officers presented him with evidence of the dossier’s “many flaws,” Brennan allegedly dismissed their concerns, responding, “Yes, but doesn’t it ring true?”

Jordan’s referral makes clear that such contradictions are not mere lapses in memory—they are evidence of intent. “Brennan’s assertion that the CIA was not involved at all with the Steele dossier cannot be reconciled with the facts,” the letter reads. “Brennan made the ultimate decision, along with then-FBI Director James Comey, to include information from the dossier in the ICA.”

The letter further notes that Brennan’s false statements go back years. During a 2017 open hearing of the House Intelligence Committee, Brennan claimed the Steele dossier “was not in any way used as a basis for the Intelligence Community assessment that was done.” Jordan and his colleagues argue this demonstrates “a pattern of Brennan’s willingness to lie to Congress.”

“In sum,” the letter concludes, “Brennan’s testimony before the Committee on May 11, 2023, was a brazen attempt to knowingly and willfully testify falsely and fictitiously to material facts. We therefore make this referral for the Department to examine whether any of Brennan’s testimony warrants a charge for the violation of 18 U.S.C. §1001.”

The referral represents one of the most direct congressional calls for prosecution against a former CIA Director in recent memory. For years, Brennan has been at the center of controversy surrounding the origins of the “Russiagate” narrative—an affair that weaponized intelligence processes and polarized the nation. Jordan’s letter signals a turning point, asserting that “Congress cannot perform its oversight function if witnesses who appear before its committees do not provide truthful testimony.”

For readers wondering what comes next, the DOJ will now determine whether to open a formal criminal investigation. If prosecutors find sufficient evidence that Brennan knowingly provided false statements, he could face charges carrying up to five years in prison per count under 18 U.S.C. §1001.

This referral is not simply about John Brennan—it is about restoring integrity and accountability to institutions of government that have too often operated beyond the reach of the law. After years of revelations about misconduct within the intelligence community, this moment represents a long-awaited reckoning. Brennan’s denials, once accepted by much of the media and political class, now appear to have been deliberate attempts to mislead Congress and the American people.

As Jim Jordan put it plainly in his letter to the Attorney General, “We therefore make this referral for the Department to examine whether any of Brennan’s testimony warrants a charge.” The evidence, the contradictions, and the brazenness of Brennan’s conduct, as documented in official records, suggest that his time for accountability has indeed come.

Sources
– Criminal Referral Letter from Rep. Jim Jordan to Attorney General Pamela J. Bondi (Oct. 21, 2025) — PDF, House Judiciary Committee
– Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections (Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Jan. 6, 2017)
– House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Report, Oversight Investigation & Referral: The Intelligence Community Assessment “Russia’s Influence Campaign Targeting the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election” (116th Congress, 2020)
– CIA Memorandum, Tradecraft Review: 2016 ICA on Election Interference (June 26, 2025)

🛑 It should be noted that the assertions in this congressional referral are allegations that have not yet been adjudicated in a court of law.