'Subtle as a sledgehammer to the ribs': Brennan's lawsuit against DOJ sends a strong message - The Weeknight - MS NOW

[Rhiannon12866]

Former CIA Director John Brennan is going on offense by asking a judge to order Trump’s Justice Department to preserve documents related to two investigation into him. Chief Washington Correspondent at MeidasTouch Scott MacFarlane joins the conversation. - Aired on 07/01/2026.

[Scalded Nun]

1. I think he should take a page from the Trumpbook and sue the US for $10B for malicious, vindictive and illegal

prosecution.


I further believe that every individual being illegally singled out by this administration should file defamation suits, each one for $10B. That seems like a favorite number.

[progressoid]

2. Raise your hand if you think the Dept of "Justice" is going to save those records.

There are lackeys busy digging through files right now finding things to shred.

If we're lucky, there are still a couple people with a bit of honor saving files.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. MaddowBlog-Former CIA Director John Brennan sues Trump's DOJ, pushing back against probe

After a year of facing a Justice Department investigation, Brennan and his lawyers are now going on the offensive.

Former CIA Director John Brennan sues Trump’s DOJ, pushing back against probe
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Donald Pedersen (@watchingevil.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T17:54:07.514Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-john-brennan-doj-lawsuit-records

That Donald Trump’s Justice Department had decided to go after former CIA Director John Brennan had been obvious for quite a while. One year ago this week, the DOJ confirmed an ongoing criminal investigation into the longtime intelligence official who led the CIA during Barack Obama’s second term.....

This week, however, Brennan and his lawyers started pushing back in a new and important way, filing a new lawsuit related to the probe, which he sees as politically motivated. The suit specifically asked a federal judge to require the president and several prominent members of his team to preserve records related to the Brennan investigation, in the expectation that the former CIA director will respond to possible charges by accusing the administration of vindictive retribution.

It’s not entirely clear why, exactly, the investigation into Brennan was launched in the first place — it appears to have something to do with his congressional testimony related to Trump’s Russia scandal — though as The New York Times reported, the former CIA director “has long been one of President Trump’s most reviled political enemies.”

The same Times report added, “Almost everything about the inquiries into Mr. Brennan … has been unorthodox, suggesting that prosecutors focused first on him as a target and only then set about looking for a crime with which he might be charged.”

It’s worth emphasizing for context that Brennan was also included on FBI Director Kash Patel’s so-called enemies list, filled with those he identified as “government gangsters,” and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt last year condemned the former CIA director as a “disgraceful” individual for reasons she did not explain.

I saw Brennan on Nicole yesterday. This lawsuit is a good move

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. Analyst stunned by 'subtle' line in lawsuit against Trump admin: 'Scathing thing to say'

I watched Nicole's interview of Brennan yesterday. It was a great interview. The trump DOJ has forfeited the "presumption of regularity" which is going to help Brennan. I think that this lawsuit is a good idea

Scott MacFarlane, the chief Washington correspondent for MeidasTouch, was stunned on Wednesday after reading a "subtle" line tucked away in a new lawsuit against the Trump administration.

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-07-02T06:00:12.822Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-lawsuit-2677144473

Scott MacFarlane, the chief Washington correspondent for MeidasTouch, was stunned on Wednesday after reading a "subtle" line tucked away in a new lawsuit against the Trump administration.

Former CIA Director John Brennan sued the Trump Department of Justice over its investigation into him for allegedly making false statements to Congress and for grand conspiracy. In the 46-page filing, the former intelligence professional used a phrase that piqued MacFarlane's interest, who described it as a "striking" thing for Brennan to include.

"In light of this Justice Department's highly irregular conduct, courts now recognize that it no longer deserves the presumption of regularity in certain categories of cases, and in particular in those against the president's perceived enemies," the lawsuit reads in part.

MacFarlane honed in on the phrase "presumption of regularity."

"That phrase ... sounds benign," MacFarlane said. "That is such a scathing thing to say. The courts function on the presumption of regularity ... What John Brennan is saying is that they can't be trusted."

In the lawsuit, Brennan asked the court to compel the Trump administration to preserve all investigatory materials, fearing they would be destroyed. Brennan also questioned whether the Trump DOJ was being animated by a conspiracy theory to pursue charges against him in the first place.

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