The U.S. Justice Department has initiated a new investigation into one of President Donald Trump's longstanding grievances, issuing multiple subpoenas related to the government's original inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Subpoenas Target Key Figures in Russia Probe
According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the Justice Department issued grand jury subpoenas from the Southern District of Florida on Friday. These legal documents seek documents related to the preparation of the Obama administration's intelligence community assessment, which was made public in January 2017.
The original assessment detailed how Russia waged a covert influence campaign to help Donald Trump defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The investigation's focus includes examining the process behind creating this intelligence document.
Among those receiving subpoenas are former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI employees Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who were involved in the Russia investigation and exchanged critical text messages about Trump. Strzok was later fired from the FBI, while Page resigned. Sources indicate as many as 30 subpoenas are expected to be issued.
Trump's Longstanding Grievance Takes Center Stage
The new investigation underscores President Trump's determination to follow through on his pledge to seek retribution over the election interference investigation that shadowed his presidency. The Russia probe began before Trump took office in 2017 and continued to affect much of his first term.
This development comes as the Justice Department has investigated and in some cases prosecuted Trump's political opponents, including former FBI Director James Comey, who Trump fired months into his first term amid the Russia investigation.
The Trump administration has particularly scrutinized the intelligence community assessment because a classified version included a summary of the Steele dossier. This compilation of Democratic-funded opposition research was assembled by former British spy Christopher Steele and later provided to the FBI.
Trump has repeatedly highlighted the dossier's weaknesses, which included uncorroborated rumors and salacious gossip about his potential links to Russia, in his efforts to discredit the entire Russia investigation.
Contradictory Findings and Ongoing Controversy
Multiple government reports, including bipartisan congressional reviews and former special counsel Robert Mueller's criminal investigation, have confirmed that Russia did interfere in the 2016 election through hacking Democratic emails and running covert social media campaigns aimed at sowing discord and influencing American public opinion.
Mueller's report found that the Trump campaign actively welcomed Russian help, though it did not establish that Russian operatives conspired with Trump or his associates to tip the election.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has continued to criticize the Russia investigation. His administration officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have championed releasing years-old documents meant to discredit the original investigation.
In July, Ratcliffe released a CIA report identifying what it called tradecraft anomalies in creating the Obama administration's intelligence community assessment. The report criticized the inclusion of the Steele dossier summary in a classified annex, arguing this decision implicitly elevated unsubstantiated claims to the status of credible supporting evidence and compromised the assessment's analytical integrity.
It remains unclear whether the new Justice Department investigation will produce criminal charges or what specific criminal allegation is being examined.
