The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Judicial Watch has filed a new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency seeking the full, unredacted handwritten notes of former CIA Director John Brennan from an August 3, 2016 White House briefing that referenced intelligence about an alleged Hillary Clinton campaign plan to link Donald Trump to Russia.
The lawsuit, Judicial Watch Inc. v. Central Intelligence Agency (1:26‑cv‑01630), was filed after the CIA failed to respond to an August 5, 2025 FOIA request for Brennan's complete notes and any related records, including unredacted portions of President Barack Obama's and then‑FBI Director James Comey's responses. Those portions remain blacked out in the publicly released version of Special Counsel John Durham's 2023 report.
Background: Brennan's Notes and the Clinton Plan Intelligence
In October 2020, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released heavily redacted excerpts of Brennan's handwritten notes. The documents showed Brennan briefing President Obama on intelligence indicating that Clinton allegedly approved a proposal from a foreign policy adviser to "vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security services" as a distraction from her use of a private email server.
One of Brennan's notes stated that the intelligence community was "getting additional insight into Russian activities" and cited the alleged Clinton approval on July 26, 2016.
Durham's 2023 report described the intelligence as immediately recognized within the intelligence community as relevant to the presidential election. According to the report, Brennan "personally received" the material and briefed Obama in July 2016.
A section titled "White House briefing" recounts that Brennan met with Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, the Attorney General, and FBI Director Comey on August 3, 2016, to discuss Russian election interference. Brennan's notes and recollections indicate that he included the Clinton Plan intelligence in that briefing.
Judicial Watch: "The American people deserve to know the whole story"
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said the lawsuit seeks transparency about what he described as a politically driven operation.
"The Russiagate scandal was a politically driven operation. It served as an enormous deflection from Hillary Clinton's use of a nongovernment email server, which was a serious violation of federal records laws and national security practices," Fitton said. "The American people deserve to know the whole story."
Judicial Watch has played a major role in uncovering documents related to the origins of Crossfire Hurricane and the broader Trump‑Russia investigation, often through litigation.
A Long Trail of FOIA Litigation
The new lawsuit is the latest in a series of Judicial Watch actions targeting federal agencies for records tied to the Trump‑Russia narrative:
January 2026: Sued the Justice Department for fully unredacted Durham investigation records.
November 2025: Published a comprehensive recap of the Crossfire Hurricane/Russiagate controversy.
August & May 2025: Sued DOJ for records on the FBI's 2016 investigation of Trump under Director Comey.
October 2020: Uncovered State Department emails showing skepticism about Christopher Steele's reports.
May 2020: Received the "electronic communication" that officially launched Crossfire Hurricane.
April 2020: Obtained emails showing Peter Strzok noted differences between Steele dossier versions.
August 2019: Released FBI "302" interview notes from Bruce Ohr describing Steele reporting flowing to the Clinton campaign, State Department, and FBI.
July 2019: Obtained records showing FBI agents collected Comey memos from his home after his firing.
2018–2017: Multiple lawsuits forced the FBI and DOJ to preserve, review, or produce Comey‑related records, including memos he leaked to the press.
What Comes Next
The CIA has not publicly commented on the lawsuit. If the court orders production, Brennan's full notes could shed new light on how senior Obama administration officials handled the Clinton Plan intelligence during the height of the 2016 election.
Judicial Watch says it intends to continue pressing for transparency across all agencies involved in the early Trump‑Russia investigations.
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