DOJ Readies Subpoenas in Probe of Obama Era Trump Russia Case

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department is preparing grand jury subpoenas to seek documents from top officials in the Obama administration

sarah

Nov 8, 2025 - 18:56

DOJ Readies Subpoenas in Probe of Obama Era Trump Russia Case

President Donald Trump believes improperly targeted him in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, sources told USA TODAY.

Trump has been publicly demanding such an investigation for months, even naming former top law enforcement and intelligence officials he wants prosecuted.

Now the Justice Department appears to be doing just that, with the investigation being led by Jason Redding Quinonez, a friend of Attorney General Pam Bondi and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, sources familiar with the investigation said.

Donald Trump's Second Term: The 47th President's Actions and Travels

1 of 70

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hand out candy to children during the annual Halloween event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., October 30, 2025. The President and First Lady welcomed military, law enforcement, foster and adoptive families, as well as administration officials and their children to the annual trick-or-treat celebration held on the White House grounds.

The first grand jury subpoenas in this investigation were reportedly being prepared for President Barack Obama's Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and allegedly his CIA Director John Brennan. A source said they are seeking documents related to the long-running Russia investigation that began during Obama's term in 2016.

The White House confirmed the existence of the grand jury investigation in August, after Fox News reported that Bondi had ordered it based on a criminal referral from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. At the time, Gabbard alleged that Brennan and others, possibly including then-President Obama, had “manufactured and politicized intelligence” to target Trump.

This investigation could extend far beyond those who investigated Russia’s efforts to boost Trump’s 2016 campaign and any collusion between his campaign team and White House staff with the Kremlin.

Other potential targets identified by Trump include Biden administration national security officials who investigated him after he left the White House in 2021 for allegedly mishandling classified documents and attempting to overturn the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden. Trump was criminally prosecuted in both cases, but the charges were dismissed after he won re-election in November 2024.

Former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted by the Justice Department on unrelated charges on September 25 following demands from Trump, also faces the prospect of being included in this Miami-based investigation, which is still in its early stages, according to a source familiar with the probe.

None of these former officials commented on the story despite requests from USA TODAY to their lawyers. The lawyers also declined to comment, citing the sensitivity and fluidity of the matter. In previous statements, Clapper, Brennan, and Comey have denied any wrongdoing.

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.