Former CIA director Brennan sues Trump administration to protect records

John Brennan, former director of the CIA and a longtime foe of the Trump administration, filed a lawsuit Wednesday asking a federal court to preserve all records related to the administration’s investigation of him.

The Justice Department has been eyeing Brennan for months, with lawyers interviewing former intelligence officials and issuing subpoenas as part of a conspiracy investigation, The Washington Post reported.

Justice Department officials have alleged that Brennan and others violated President Donald Trump’s civil rights in a conspiracy back to the Obama administration that included efforts to prosecute Trump and investigate his ties to Russia, The Post said. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, also referred Brennan to the Justice Department, alleging that he lied during testimony to Congress.

Brennan’s attorneys requested that a judge order the administration to preserve any internal records and communications from the investigation.

The records could be used as part of defense arguments that the investigation and any prosecution are part of Trump’s attempt to vindictively punish Brennan, the attorneys said, citing an administration policy “of using criminal process and prosecution to punish the president’s perceived adversaries,” The Post said.

“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 indictment,” the lawyers wrote, CNN reported.

“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,” they wrote.

Brennan has also said the court should preserve any records that could be used in any broader “grand conspiracy” investigation by the Justice Department. He has denied any wrongdoing. The lawsuit names Trump, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel and prosecutors in Florida overseeing the investigation.

Report: McConnell was unconscious when he was hospitalized last month

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell was “unconscious” at his home in Washington, D.C., before he was taken to the hospital around two weeks ago, according to EMS radio traffic shared by media outlets this week.

Punchbowl News reported that a dispatcher directed an Advanced Life Support ambulance to the Kentucky Republican’s address on June 14, according to an audio recording of the call posted by journalist Desirée Townsend on X.

The audio has not been independently verified, and McConnell’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the call at the time of publication.

McConnell, 84, was hospitalized, but his staff did not give details about his condition at the time, other than to say he was receiving “excellent care.”

During the Republican Party of Kentucky’s Lincoln Day Dinner in Lexington on June 20, Rep. Andy Barr told reporters after the event that he’d exchanged text messages with McConnell. “He’s good,” Barr said.

McConnell’s office has not confirmed whether he is still hospitalized.

His office hasn’t provided any updates since June 22, when spokesperson Stephanie Penn said he would not vote in the Senate that week but was working “closely” with staff as his health continues to recover.

Since McConnell was admitted into the hospital, the public has received few details on his health condition.

McConnell, who is not seeking reelection this year, has held his Senate seat since 1985 and is in his seventh term. From 2007 to 2025, he served as the leader of the Senate GOP. Barr and Democratic candidate Charles Booker are running in the November election to replace McConnell.

McConnell has had several health scares in recent years, including freezes during public events. He also had three public falls in 2025, and he suffered a concussion in 2023 when he fell down steps in Washington, D.C. In 2025, McConnell’s team said he still deals with “lingering effects” from surviving polio as a child.

The June hospitalization is McConnell’s second this year. He was also admitted in February for “flu-like symptoms.”

Supreme Court action sparks new demand in Trump civil case

Writer E. Jean Carroll is asking a federal judge to require Trump to pay nearly $5.8 million, including accrued interest, after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal of a 2023 civil verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming her. The filing marks the latest development in a years-long legal battle that has continued even after the nation’s highest court refused to revisit the case.

Carroll’s attorneys argued that there is no longer a valid reason to delay payment following the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this week. They told the court that the original $5 million judgment has increased to nearly $5.8 million because of interest and asked U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to require Trump to satisfy the judgment without further delay.

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to review Trump’s appeal without comment, leaving intact a jury’s finding that he sexually abused Carroll during an encounter in a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her after she publicly disclosed the allegation. Trump has consistently denied the accusations and has maintained that the claims are false.

According to court filings, Carroll’s lawyers contend Trump has repeatedly sought to postpone payment through a series of legal challenges that have been unsuccessful. They also noted that Trump’s legal team requested another delay while considering whether to ask the Supreme Court to reconsider its refusal to hear the appeal, a request Carroll’s attorneys oppose. Judge Kaplan has ordered an expedited briefing schedule, with Trump’s attorneys expected to respond in the coming days.

The dispute stems from a civil trial in 2023 in which jurors concluded Trump was liable for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her after denying her allegations. Trump did not attend the trial and has continued to challenge the outcome in court and on social media.

The $5 million judgment is separate from another civil case in which a jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million for additional defamatory statements. Trump is continuing to appeal that larger judgment, which remains on a separate legal track.

The Lexington Herald-Leader and cleveland.com contributed to this report.

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This story was originally published July 1, 2026 at 3:59 PM.