The Justice Department has removed the lead prosecutor overseeing an investigation involving former CIA Director John Brennan, a longtime critic of President Donald Trump, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Maria Medetis Long, a veteran prosecutor for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of Florida, told colleagues in her office that she had recently told her superiors that there was not ample justification to bring criminal charges against Brennan, according to one person briefed on her discussions who asked to speak anonymously due to the sensitivity of internal deliberations. She also told colleagues she expected to withdraw from the case.
Medetis Long sent an email Thursday to attorneys representing clients drawn into the case saying she would no longer be working on the investigation, according to a person with knowledge of her notification.
Medetis Long had agreed weeks ago to help her boss, Miami U.S. Attorney Jason Quinones, probe possible law violations tied to how former President Barack Obama’s Justice Department opened the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to the sources. Medetis Long was specifically focused on probing allegations that Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, referred to the Department of Justice in 2025, claiming he had evidence suggesting Brennan made false statements to Congress in 2023 about that investigation and his role.
The news of Medetis Long’s departure was first reported by CNN.
It was not immediately clear why the prosecutor was reassigned or who will take over the probe.
The Justice Department called it “routine practice” to rearrange attorneys and cases that they are assigned.
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Carol Leonnig
Carol Leonnig is a senior investigative reporter with MS NOW.
Ebony Davis
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at CNN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.
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