'Poking the bear:' CNN analyst stunned by John Brennan's new lawsuit against Trump
CNN correspondent Katelyn Polantz said that President Donald Trump's enemy, former CIA Director John Brennan, has filed a new lawsuit against the administration that could provoke Trump.
Polantz reported that Brennan has sued to try to have investigative records into him preserved. She revealed more details about the lawsuit during a live segment with CNN anchor Boris Sanchez.
"Well, Boris, this filing — it's essentially been described to me as poking the bear, where John Brennan's team is trying to signal to the Justice Department that if he were to be indicted for, say, potentially perjury, we knew he had been investigated for that, or something additional that they will be challenging it," Polantz said.
"That's what this lawsuit is putting a marker down on," Polantz added. "This is an investigation into Brennan that's been going on for some time. It's out of the US Attorney's office in Miami. But what Brennan's legal team is saying here is that they believe the Justice Department may be trying to follow Donald Trump's orders to vindictively and selectively prosecute him, single him out illegally, to bring charges against him because Trump doesn't like him from the time he served."
Brennan's lawyers wrote a statement explaining the response.
"Administration officials from the Acting Attorney General to the FBI Director and the Counselor overseeing the Brennan investigations have been publicly declaring Director Brennan a criminal, not only before securing a conviction in court but even before a full investigation and an indictment," Brennan’s lawyers wrote. "And, certain officials in the Department of Justice are engaging in demonstrably irregular prosecutorial activity in order to gin up a case that will satisfy the President’s direction."
"Officials of this Administration have shown an advertent disdain for their preservation obligations," the lawyers added.
Brennan has petitioned a federal judge in Washington to order Trump, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Miami prosecutors and intelligence officials to preserve records concerning him, CNN reported. Brennan also wants records preserved for any broader Justice Department "grand conspiracy" probe into past officials tied to Trump investigations.