FBI probes ex-CIA, FBI chiefs over 2016 Russia election interference: Report

The FBI has launched criminal investigations into former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey, according to a Fox News Digital report citing Justice Department sources.

The probes reportedly center on alleged misconduct tied to prior government investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, in which Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. The scope of the investigations remains unclear, and a criminal probe does not necessarily lead to charges.

The CIA and the Justice Department have not commented on the matter. The FBI also declined to comment. According to the report, the inquiry into Brennan was prompted by a referral from former Trump-appointed CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

Brennan, who served under former President Barack Obama, has not yet responded to requests for comment. Comey could also not be reached.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt welcomed the move, telling Fox News, “I am glad to see that the Department of Justice is opening up this investigation.”

The reported probes involve two officials who have been frequent targets of criticism from Trump and his allies.

Comey led the FBI when it launched its 2016 investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Trump fired Comey in 2017, after Comey publicly confirmed the president was under investigation.

That probe was later taken over by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who found no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia.

Brennan, meanwhile, oversaw the CIA during the agency’s 2017 assessment that concluded Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to influence the election in Trump’s favor.

A recent CIA review found flaws in the preparation of that report, though it did not dispute the assessment’s core findings.

The Fox News report comes amid renewed scrutiny of federal law enforcement leadership by Trump supporters, following the FBI and Justice Department’s dismissal of conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Jeffrey Epstein.

Separately, a special counsel appointed during Trump’s presidency, John Durham, previously investigated the origins of the FBI’s Russia probe. Durham secured charges against three lower-level individuals involved, but did not uncover evidence of a coordinated effort to target Trump.

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