House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan took another decisive step for accountability on Tuesday, formally referring former CIA Director John Brennan to the Department of Justice after alleging Brennan knowingly made false statements during a transcribed committee interview. Jordan’s referral centers on Brennan’s May 11, 2023 testimony and insists there is significant documentary evidence that contradicts what Brennan told Congress.
Jordan did not whisper this — he went public and bluntly declared, “John Brennan lied to Congress,” sharing a copy of the six-page referral and demanding the Attorney General open a criminal inquiry. The chairman’s move sends a message that elected representatives will not look the other way when career intelligence officials appear to have misled lawmakers about the origins and use of politically charged material.
The referral points to newly declassified records showing the Steele dossier material found its way into the Intelligence Community Assessment in an annex and that Brennan reportedly overruled CIA analysts who warned of the dossier’s flaws. Those documents, Jordan argues, undercut Brennan’s sworn claims that the CIA opposed using the dossier and had no real involvement with it, painting a picture of political theater rather than transparent oversight.
This isn’t just congressional chest-thumping — the Justice Department has already been reported to have opened a probe into actions taken by former intelligence chiefs in the Russiagate episode, and Brennan himself has insisted he’s had no contact with investigators even as scrutiny mounts. Americans deserve to know whether intelligence was manipulated to manufacture a narrative with real consequences for a presidency and for ordinary citizens.
Patriotic conservatives should welcome this fight, because unchecked intelligence power answering to partisan agendas is precisely the kind of abuse that erodes liberty. For years the media and the permanent bureaucracy excused every suspicious act, then cheered when those same officials became pundits on cable, but now the voters won’t be silenced or lied to anymore.
Make no mistake: this is about restoring faith in institutions — not settling scores. If Brennan did sign off on inserting unverified, opposition-funded research into an official assessment and then misled Congress about it, that is a betrayal of the public trust and it ought to be pursued to the full extent of the law; earlier inquiries like Special Counsel Durham’s did not result in prosecutions, but new declassifications demand fresh scrutiny.
Jim Jordan deserves credit for refusing to let powerful people hide behind secrecy and spin. If the Justice Department is serious about equal justice under the law, it will follow the evidence and hold accountable anyone who weaponized intelligence against Americans — and hardworking patriots watching this saga will be watching every step.
