WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday declined to issue a court order requiring the Justice Department to preserve all its records from investigations into John Brennan so the former CIA director can challenge any eventual criminal case against him as a malicious prosecution.
\n\nAttorneys for Brennan conceded that the request for a court order was unusual but said it was necessary given what they called the Justice Department's pattern of vindictiveness in its pursuit of him and its recent track record of erasing or failing to preserve records.
\n\nBut U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb declined the request, saying Brennan's arguments were too speculative.
\n\nAs CIA director in the final years of President Barack Obama's Democratic administration, Brennan was a key figure in the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia had interfered in sweeping fashion in the 2016 presidential election on behalf of Republican Donald Trump, who went on to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton for the White House.
\n\nThe Justice Department has not made any public accusations about Brennan, but House Republicans have referred him to the department for potential prosecution on allegations that he lied to Congress, which he has vigorously denied.
\n\nBrennan has for months been entangled in…
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