House Judiciary leaders said they have sent a criminal referral to the Department of Justice regarding former CIA Director John Brennan.

Chairman Jim Jordan alleges Brennan lied to Congress during sworn testimony. The committee points to documents and prior findings to back the charge.

Rep. Jim Jordan wrote: “We write to refer significant evidence that former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan knowingly made false statements during his transcribed interview before the Committee on the Judiciary on May 11, 2023.1 While testifying, Brennan made numerous willfully and intentionally false statements of material fact contradicted by the record established by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and the CIA.”

The referral centers on the Steele dossier and the Intelligence Community Assessment that followed the 2016 election.

Jordan says Brennan denied CIA reliance on the dossier. He also says Brennan told Congress the CIA opposed including the dossier in the assessment.

According to the committee, records conflict with those denials.

A newly declassified stack, they say, shows deeper CIA involvement. The letter calls out decisions at the very top.

Rep. Jim Jordan wrote: “Brennan’s assertion that the CIA was not ‘involved at all’ with the Steele dossier cannot be reconciled with the facts. As the newly declassified documents show, a CIA officer drafted the annex containing a summary of the dossier; Brennan made the ultimate decision, along with then-FBI Director James Comey, to include information from the dossier in the ICA; and, as discussed further below, Brennan overruled senior CIA officers who objected to the inclusion of the dossier material. [….]”

Jordan’s team says Brennan also gave false testimony in a 2017 HPSCI hearing.

They argue those statements were material to Congress’s oversight. They say the pattern crosses legal lines.

Rep. Jim Jordan wrote: “In sum, Brennan’s testimony before the Committee on May 11, 2023, was a brazen attempt to knowingly and willfully testify falsely and fictitiously to material facts. We therefore make this referral for the Department to examine whether any of Brennan’s testimony warrants a charge for the violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001.”

The committee’s move lands as another well-known case advances.

Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted recently on one count of making a false statement to Congress and one count of obstruction of a Congressional proceeding. He is seeking dismissal while prosecutors press ahead.

Republicans say the Brennan referral follows the evidence.

They note the ICA debate, the annex drafting, and senior objections cited in the letter. They frame it as a straightforward question of truth under oath.

Democrats are expected to dispute both the facts and the framing.

They will likely argue interpretation, context, and classification issues. DOJ attorneys will weigh credibility and corroboration.

Brennan has publicly fought past declassifications tied to Russia-collusion controversies.

He criticized disclosures made by the Director of National Intelligence. He has been a frequent TV and social media voice on those topics.

The referral heightens pressure on Justice Department leadership.

Prosecutors must decide whether the record supports charges. They will examine transcripts, memos, and contemporaneous notes.

If DOJ pursues the case, trial risk becomes real.

If DOJ passes, Congress may escalate with more hearings. Either path keeps the spotlight on 2016-era intelligence fights.

Supporters of the referral say the issue is simple.

They say Congress cannot function if sworn witnesses mislead committees. They argue accountability protects both voters and national security.

For Brennan, the stakes are personal and legal.

For Washington, the stakes are institutional. The next filing will tell which way the wind is blowing.