WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for former CIA Director John Brennan want the Justice Department to be prevented from steering an investigation of him and other former government officials to a “favored” judge in Florida who dismissed the classified documents case against President Donald Trump.
The request Monday is addressed to U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga, the chief judge in the Southern District of Florida, where federal prosecutors are pursuing a criminal investigation related to the U.S. government assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Brennan and other former officials have received subpoenas, and Brennan's lawyers say he's been advised by prosecutors that he's a target of the investigation.
Brennan's lawyers say in their letter that they are concerned the Justice Department is engaged in “judge-shopping” and trying to arrange for the investigation to be transferred to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who issued favorable rulings to Trump during the classified documents case and dismissed it last year. They asked Altonaga to exercise her “supervisory authority” as chief judge to ensure the Justice Department is unable to steer the current Russia-related matter to her.
“In short, we are seeking assurance that any litigation arising out of this grand jury proceeding will be heard by a judge who is selected by the court’s neutral and impartial processes, not by the prosecution’s self-interested maneuvering contrary to the interests of justice,” wrote Brennan's attorneys, Kenneth Wainstein and Natasha Harnwell-Davis. The New York Times earlier reported on the letter.
It remains unclear what specific allegations of criminal conduct are being examined by prosecutors in Florida. But the subpoenas issued last month to Brennan and other former law enforcement and intelligence officials sought documents related to the preparation of the Obama administration’s intelligence community assessment, made public in January 2017, that detailed how Russia waged a covert influence campaign to help Trump defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Trump was investigated, but not charged, during his first term over whether his campaign conspired with Russia to tip the outcome of the election. He has long sought retribution over the Russia investigation and the officials who played a key part in it.
His Justice Department in September secured a false statement and obstruction indictment against James Comey, the FBI director at the time the Russia probe was launched, though the case against him was dismissed. Its future is in doubt thanks to a judge's ruling that blocked prosecutors, in the event they try to revive the case, from relying on communications they consider to be key evidence.
Brennan's lawyers say the Trump administration Justice Department tried to “forum-shop” the investigation of him to multiple jurisdictions, including Pennsylvania, before settling in Florida. But they say prosecutors have been unable to answer basic questions about why Florida is a proper venue for the investigation given that the intelligence community assessment at issue was produced by officials in the Washington, D.C., area.
Though it is not clear that the Justice Department will ultimately produce charges, Brennan's request reflects the fact that judges who oversee grand jury investigations can be called upon to make important decisions and resolve significant disputes, including over witness testimony, that can affect the course of the inquiry.
The grand jury investigation is currently based in the Miami division of the Southern District of Florida, but Brennan's lawyers say they're concerned that the Trump administration may be poised to try to transfer the case to the smaller Fort Pierce division, where Cannon is the only judge. They cited as a basis for that alarm a Justice Department decision to seek an additional grand jury in Fort Pierce even though, Brennan's lawyers say, there's no apparent caseload need.
“The United States Attorney’s efforts to funnel this investigation to the judge who issued this string of rulings that consistently favored President Trump’s positions in previous litigations should be seen for what it is,” Brennan's lawyers wrote.
FILE - Former CIA Director John Brennan arrives for a meeting at the Capitol in Washington, May 21, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose on Wall Street Monday to open what's expected to be a relatively calm holiday week.
The gains were broad. Technology companies and banks did much of the heavy lifting. Industrial companies also gave a strong push to major indexes.
The S&P 500 rose 43.99 points, or 0.6%, to 6,878.49. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 227.79 points, or 0.5%, to 48,362.68. The Nasdaq composite rose 121.21 points, or 0.5%, to 23,428.83.
Smaller company stocks did particularly well. The Russell 2000 index outpaced other major indexes with a 1.2% gain.
The gains also helped major indexes push further into winning territory for the month as a choppy December nears its end. Technology companies, especially those focused on artificial intelligence, have been the main force behind the market's oscillations. The direction of AI-related stocks will likely determine whether the market closes out December with gains or losses.
“If a Santa Claus rally does kick in this year, St. Nick’s gift bag will likely need to be full of positive tech sentiment,” wrote Chris Larkin, managing director of trading and investing at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley.
Nvidia, which has had a big role in driving the broader tech sector higher this year, rose 1.5%. JPMorgan was among the bigger winners in the banking sector with a 1.9% gain.
Uber rose 2.5% and Lyft rose 2.7% after announcing plans to bring robotaxi services to London next year.
Paramount Skydance rose 4.3%. The company sweetened its hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery with an “irrevocable personal guarantee” from Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle and father of Paramount CEO David Ellison. He is putting up billions of dollars to back the deal as part of the latest move in Paramount's bidding war against Netflix.
Warner Bros. Discovery rose 3.5% and Netflix fell 1.2%.
Dominion Energy fell 3.7% after the Trump administration said it is pausing leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects. They include Dominion's Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.
Gold and silver touched records and oil prices jumped after the U.S. Coast Guard said it was pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean.
Gold prices rose 1.9% to settle at $4,469.40, adding to its consistent gains throughout the year. Silver rose 1.6%.
Crude oil prices in the U.S. rose 2.4% to $58.01 a barrel. Prices for Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 2.6% to $62.07 a barrel.
Treasury yields edged higher in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.16% from 4.15% late Friday.
Asian markets rose, and European markets slipped.
Markets in the U.S. will close early on Wednesday for Christmas Eve and remain closed on Thursday for Christmas. The short week for trading includes several economic reports that could shed more light on the condition and direction of the U.S. economy.
On Tuesday, the government releases the first of three estimates on gross domestic product, a reflection of how the broader U.S. economy fared in the third quarter. On Wednesday, the Labor Department will release its weekly data on applications for jobless benefits, which stands as a proxy for U.S. layoffs.
The Conference Board offers up results from its December consumer confidence survey on Tuesday as well.
The upcoming reports follow a mix of updates last week that show inflation remains elevated and consumer confidence has diminished over the last year. Overall, the job market has been slowing and retail sales have weakened.
The ongoing and wide-ranging U.S. trade war has been hanging over consumers and businesses already squeezed and worried by higher prices. The mix of stubbornly high inflation and a weaker jobs market has also put the Federal Reserve in a more difficult policy position moving forward.
The Fed has cut its benchmark interest rate at its last three meetings, despite inflation that has remained stubbornly above its 2% target. Fed officials have grown increasingly concerned about the slowing job market, pushing them to trim rates. Cutting interest rates to bolster the economy because of a weak job market could fuel inflation, however.
Wall Street is mostly betting that the Fed will hold steady on interest rates at its meeting in January.
Elaine Kurtenbach and Matt Ott contributed to this story.
James Denaro works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Trader Jonathan Mueller works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Trader William Lawrence works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
