Ex-Obama officials face federal grand jury probe into whether they promoted false Trump-Russia ties
The major legal development opens the door to criminal charges against prominent Cabinet members who served then-President Barack Obama, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey.
3 Director of the FBI, James Comey (L), Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan (2L), Director of National Intelligence James Clapper (2 R) in 2014. The trio could be subject of the DOJ's probe.
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3 Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Washington.
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3 President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a joint press conference after their summit on July 16, 2018 in Helsinki, Finland.
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It was not immediately clear whether the grand jury would be based in heavily Democratic Washington, DC or elsewhere.
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Trump and current DNI Tulsi Gabbard have called for a federal investigation into the early days of the Russia collusion probe dubbed 'Crossfire Hurricane' — though the commander in chief himself has acknowledged that his predecessor likely is immune from prosecution due to a 2024 Supreme Court ruling on the criminality of official presidential acts.
The president has accused the former officials of a treasonous and seditious conspiracy to undermine his first-term agenda, ultimately consuming more than two years in leaky investigations before special counsel Robert Mueller turned up no evidence of collusion.
This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.
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