John Brennan: ‘Ample Evidence to Justify’ FBI’s Counterintelligence Probe into Trump Campaign

Appearing Tuesday on MSNBC’s Deadline: White House, former CIA Director John Brennan claimed there is “ample evidence to justify” the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into now-debunked collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election.

A partial transcript is as follows: 

NICOLE WALLACE: Last night the New York Times breaking the news that a third review is underway of the origins of the Russia investigation. You were in the U.S. government as our county’s CIA director when the counterintelligence investigation commenced. What do you make of the fact that it’s being reviewed by a third set of investigators?

JOHN BRENNAN: John Durham is a very well respected individual and I believe he is going to do this — I’m hoping he’s going to it the right way —  I believed that Attorney General Barr was going to carry out his duties correctly, but I was mistaken there. But I do believe it’s important that there be an understanding about how strongly predicated that investigation was. I was there in the summer of ’16 and it was very well predicated. To launch this counterintelligence investigation about what the Russians were doing to interfere in our election and how among American citizens might have been working with them.

So is there anything — I take your point that Durham is a professional, but is there anything unprofessional about John Huber or IG Horowitz, who are already doing the same investigation?

JOHN BRENNAN: Well, I think there have been instances in the past where an IG is looking at an issue and also there’s going to be other investigations. I’m hoping they’re going to be able to work somewhat collaboratively together. I do hope that this review that Mr. Durham is going to do will be taken care of quite quickly. But, I do think that there is ample, ample evidence to justify what the FBI and the intelligence community did in the summer of ’16.