John Brennan files suit against Trump administration seeking court order to preserve records from investigations

John Brennan, the former director of the CIA, has sued the Trump administration and sought a court order requiring federal agencies and prosecutors to preserve records connected to investigations, according to a report published Tuesday by the New York Post.

The lawsuit names President Donald Trump, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and other law enforcement officials, as well as prosecutors in Florida. Brennan is asking the court to compel preservation of records, the report says, arguing that materials related to investigation activity should not be destroyed while the case proceeds.

The filing is framed as an effort to maintain evidence and avoid gaps in documentation related to investigative actions. Brennan’s request centers on preserving records from “investigations,” according to the account, though the report does not detail which specific investigations are at issue or the categories of documents he is seeking to freeze.

The suit also ties the request for preservation to named individuals within the federal government and to Florida prosecutors. That structure would, if granted, potentially affect how components of the Justice Department and the FBI handle document retention, including any routine deletion policies and data management practices that could otherwise reduce the availability of materials over time.

Brennan is represented as seeking judicial oversight in order to ensure that records remain available for review as legal claims are litigated. A preservation order would typically operate as a procedural safeguard, requiring parties to take steps to maintain relevant records rather than alter or dispose of them during the pendency of the case.

The next steps depend on how the court responds to the request. If the judge schedules hearings or issues an order, the administration and the named prosecutors would be expected to comply with any preservation obligations set by the court, subject to any limits the judge places on scope, timing, or document categories.