The investigation into former CIA chief John Brennan is in turmoil after intelligence head Tulsi Gabbard revoked the security clearances of potential witnesses, four Trump administration officials told Axios.
The witnesses were central to prosecution efforts to prove Brennan skewed a 2017 intelligence assessment to suggest Russian President Vladimir Putin had a “clear preference” for Donald Trump—and that Brennan later lied about it to Congress.
Gabbard, Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, announced on Aug. 19 that she was stripping 37 current and former intelligence officials of clearances, accusing them of “politicizing and manipulating intelligence” and “leaking classified intelligence without authorization.”
The move blindsided the Justice Department, which hadn’t been notified, Axios reported. About 10 of the security clearances were important for the Trump-supported probe into Brennan.
Brennan has denied any wrongdoing and said on MSNBC’s Deadline in July that the probe is politically motivated.
“Some of these people are my witnesses, and this is going to make it really difficult to prosecute now,” prosecutor David Metcalf complained to a senior official, according to a source. Another administration figure called it “a self-inflicted wound.”
Another insider described it as an “own goal,” a soccer term referring to giving an opponent an advantage as a result of one’s own mistake.
Officials outlined three consequences, pointing out that prosecutors now face hurdles in handling classified material; witnesses may refuse to cooperate out of anger; and Brennan’s defense team can use Gabbard’s own claims to undermine their credibility.
A senior intelligence official downplayed the damage, arguing witnesses could still testify based on what they already know. “The clearance gives you only the ability to see new material. It doesn’t ... require you to forget what’s already in your head, or ... allow/prevent you from talking to someone about what you know,” they said.
But critics inside the administration said Gabbard’s office treated the clearance purge like “a PR operation to get on Fox News” rather than a coordinated reform effort.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported the CIA was “blindsided” by the cancellation list, which allegedly included an active undercover officer. Gabbard’s team disputed that, saying agencies had been given notice. Still, DOJ wasn’t looped in until after the decision was made public.
The Brennan probe forms part of Trump’s broader, years-long campaign to discredit the Russia investigation. On July 2, CIA Director John Ratcliffe released a “tradecraft” review faulting Brennan’s handling of the 2017 assessment. A week later, Fox News reported that Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey were under federal investigation.
But multiple government reviews—including a bipartisan 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report and the 2023 Durham Report—found Russia did intervene to help Trump, even as they criticized investigative missteps. Neither Comey nor Brennan was accused of criminal wrongdoing.
Attorney Mark Zaid, who represents six intelligence officials who lost clearances, said the Justice Department’s concerns were valid. “This seems to be, as usual, an unforced error,” he told Axios.
Administration officials insist the case isn’t dead. A grand jury could still issue a report without indictments.
The White House and Gabbard’s office have been contacted for comment.
