Overview

• Axios reports the Justice Department’s investigation of former CIA Director John Brennan was set back after DNI Tulsi Gabbard revoked security clearances for 37 current and former intelligence figures.
• Nearly a dozen people on the Brennan witness list lost clearances, including officials who opposed adding the Steele dossier to the 2017 Russia assessment.
• Gabbard’s office did not notify the Justice Department or lead prosecutor David Metcalf before the cancellations, according to administration officials.
• A senior intelligence official countered that witnesses can still testify about what they already know, and administration sources say the case could proceed, potentially yielding a grand jury report even without indictments.
• Officials and lawyers say the revocations risk chilling cooperation and could let Brennan’s defense challenge witness credibility using Gabbard’s public accusations, while interagency friction persists over timing and notice.