President Donald Trump reacted Wednesday to former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey reportedly being under criminal investigation for potential wrongdoing related to the Trump–Russia probe.
Fox News Digital first reported about the probe, which is also evaluating whether Brennan allegedly made false statements to Congress.
During a meeting with African leaders in the State Room of the White House on Wednesday, Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked the president for his response to the investigation.
“Do you want to see these two guys behind bars?” Doocy asked the president.
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President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch with African leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“Well, I know nothing about it other than what I read today,” Trump said. “But I will tell you, I think they’re very dishonest people. I think they’re crooked as hell. And, maybe they have to pay a price for that.”
“I believe they are truly bad people and dishonest people,” the president added. “So whatever happens, happens.”
Justice Department sources told Fox News Digital that CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan to FBI Director Kash Patel for potential prosecution.
The sources said that Ratcliffe’s referral was received and told Fox News Digital that a criminal investigation into Brennan was opened and is underway. DOJ sources declined to provide further details. It is unclear, at this point, if the investigation spans beyond his alleged false statements to Congress.
As for Comey, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital that an investigation into the former director is underway, but could not share details of what specifically is being probed.
Former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan have been referred for criminal inbve (Getty Images)
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The full scope of the criminal investigations into Brennan and Comey is unclear, but two sources described the FBI’s view of the duo’s interactions as a “conspiracy,” which could open up a wide range of potential prosecutorial options.
The FBI and CIA declined to comment.
Neither Brennan nor Comey immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
President Donald Trump, from left, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller listen during a lunch with African leaders at the White House, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The Brennan investigation comes after Ratcliffe last week declassified a “lessons learned” review of the creation of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). The 2017 ICA alleged Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election to help then-candidate Donald Trump. But the review found that the process of the ICA’s creation was rushed with “procedural anomalies,” and that officials diverted from intelligence standards.
It also determined that the “decision by agency heads to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.”
The dossier — an anti-Trump document filled with unverified and wholly inaccurate claims that was commissioned by Fusion GPS and paid for by Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the DNC — has been widely discredited. Last week’s review marks the first time career CIA officials have acknowledged politicization of the process by which the ICA was written, particularly by Obama-era political appointees.
Trump has long condemned both Brennan and Comey for their involvement in the 2016 intelligence assessments concerning Russian interference in the U.S. election.
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Trump has argued that Brennan and Comey politicized intelligence to undermine his presidency, deeming the investigation the “Russia hoax” and a “rigged witch hunt” that damaged U.S. relations with Russia.
The investigation was taken over by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who ultimately concluded there was insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
During Trump’s first term, the Justice Department tapped another special counsel, John Durham, to investigate the FBI’s potential mishandling of the “Crossfire Hurricane” probe into alleged Trump-Russia connections. The probe, which included examining the role of the Steele dossier, resulted in criminal charges against three lower-level FBI officials. Although Durham uncovered serious missteps by the bureau, he determined there was no illegal conduct by FBI leadership.
In May 2025, Trump notably called out a social media post by Comey that featured seashells arranged to read “8647,” which many interpreted as a veiled call to assassinate the president. Trump asserted that Comey “knew what he was doing” and labeled the post as incitement to violence. Comey said he was unaware of the numbers’ potential interpretation and deleted the post.