Former CIA Director Brennan calls for Trump’s removal via 25th Amendment
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Obama-era CIA Director John Brennan has called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, joining a growing list of Democrats who believe Trump’s Truth Social posts threatening Iran were illegal.
Brennan, who is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice, appeared on MS NOW for an interview with Ali Velshi. He said the 25th Amendment, which establishes the protocol for impeaching the president, “was written with Donald Trump in mind.”
“Allowing someone like this to continue to be commander in chief and control the enormous capabilities of the United States military, including our nuclear weapons capability, which he seemed to be referring to when he said he was just going to wipe out an entire civilization,” Brennan said. “Once again, we are really living in a very, very troubled time.”
More than 70 lawmakers are calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked against Trump following a series of threats he made on Truth Social toward Iran over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
TRUMP’S THREAT ON IRAN CALLS FOR HIS EXCURSION, BUT DEM SAYS EFFORT ‘NOT REALISTIC’
Former CIA Director John Brennan appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington, DC, October 6, 2019. President Donald Trump prepares to sign documents during a White House signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House, March 16, 2026, in Washington, DC. (William B. Plowman/NBC NewsWire/Getty Images | Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The president made his first threat on Easter Sunday, giving Iran until Tuesday, April 7, at 8 p.m. Hours before the deadline, Trump posted on Truth Social that “an entire civilization would die tonight.”
“I don’t want this to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
President Donald Trump addresses the nation at the White House in Washington, DC on April 1, 2026. (Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters)
Just before the deadline, Trump announced that the United States and Iran had reached a two-week ceasefire agreement. But after negotiations in Pakistan over the weekend, Trump announced on Truth Social Sunday that the U.S. Navy would begin blocking all ships entering and exiting the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday.
Since the start of the Iran war, Brennan has publicly criticized Trump’s handling of the conflict. He’s a regular on MS NOW, suggesting a month ago that Trump is “struggling” and “has no idea” about handling the war.
John Brennan, former director of the CIA; NBC News’ senior national security and intelligence analyst appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington, DC, Sunday, April 15, 2018. (William B. Plowman/NBCUniversal)
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Notably, the Justice Department launched an investigation into Brennan in July 2025, following allegations that Brennan mishandled a 2017 intelligence community assessment, which found that Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election in Trump’s favor.
The 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment included the Steele Dossier, a debunked collection of memos alleging that Trump colluded with Russia, but Brennan testified before Congress that the document “was in no way used as a basis for the Intelligence Community Assessment that was conducted.” House Republicans alleged that Brennan lied during his testimony before the 2023 Judiciary Committee by denying that the CIA used the Steele dossier to prepare the assessment. The DOJ investigation is ongoing.
Brennan’s lawyers said they were informed he was the target of the investigation, but were not informed of any “legally justifiable basis for undertaking this investigation,” according to the Associated Press.
Brennan also pushed back against allegations of wrongdoing, including claims by Trump and his allies that Brennan helped promote an “artificial narrative” that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Trump, which became central to the FBI’s investigation into collusion with Russia in Trump’s 2016 campaign.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Fox News that the DOJ investigation is “heating up” last month during an appearance on “Hannity” and predicted that Brennan would soon face “accountability.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Taylor Penley of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
