Lead Prosecutor Quits Trump 'Grand Conspiracy' Probe

Joe diGenova abruptly resigned as lead prosecutor in the DOJ's 'grand conspiracy' investigation the day after signing a subpoena for ex-CIA Director John Brennan.

Joe diGenova, the veteran prosecutor chosen in April 2026 to lead the Justice Department's sweeping inquiry into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against President Trump, abruptly resigned after roughly five months on the job. The Guardian reports that diGenova told it: "Sometimes people want things done faster and that's all you can do," adding that "it takes a long time to make good cases, and you simply have to work at it." The Justice Department said it was grateful for his five months of service alongside prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida. Notably, the subpoena to Brennan was signed by diGenova on September 9, one day before his exit.

The departure signals internal dissent at the highest levels over the pace of retribution cases the president has made a top priority. The Associated Press reports, via WPLG Local 10, that a person familiar with the matter described frustration from the Justice Department and White House over the pace and management of the probe. DiGenova, who had personally asked then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to appoint him and had openly claimed Trump was the victim of an intelligence community conspiracy, told the New York Post: "If you want indictments where there's no evidence, you have an ethical problem." He later told the AP the comments were taken out of context, insisting "there's plenty of evidence in all of these cases" but that "some people want to get there a little faster than others."

The Daily Caller reports that former CIA Director John Brennan must testify on October 15, 2026, before a federal grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida, in the conspiracy probe. Brennan's attorney Ken Wainstein disclosed the subpoena while arguing before U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb for an order requiring the Justice Department to preserve all records from the investigations. According to WPLG Local 10, Wainstein said those documents would be a "fertile source" of information for a defense challenging any prosecution as unconstitutionally vindictive and selective, adding: "I've spent decades in and around the Justice Department. I've never even conceived of a situation like this." Wainstein also said Brennan remains a target of a separate false-statements inquiry tied to his congressional testimony.

Five months in, no charges have been brought, and it remains unclear whether any will be. The Guardian notes the year-long investigation has proceeded in fits and starts with loosely defined contours, though recent subpoenas demanded grand jury testimony. The Daily Caller reports diGenova's requests for a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility and more attorneys were sources of tension with the Justice Department, and that a career national security prosecutor was replaced after raising doubts about the inquiry's legal viability. The probe focuses on the intelligence community assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election — a conclusion multiple prior investigations, including by a special counsel and the department's own inspector general, have upheld.

The investigation targets former officials who examined Trump over the past decade, including the 2016 Russia interference inquiry and his retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The Fort Pierce grand jury sits in the home court of Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon, who in 2024 dismissed the Justice Department's classified documents case against Trump. According to WPLG Local 10, Wainstein alleged "judge-shopping" by the Justice Department and directives by Trump to pursue adversaries like Brennan, while Brennan's team seeks messages showing Trump or White House officials directing the prosecutions. The Justice Department called the preservation request premature and speculative, arguing Brennan has no right to demand it since he is not a criminal defendant.

Brennan is scheduled to appear before the Fort Pierce grand jury on October 15, and Judge Jia Cobb has not yet ruled on the records-preservation request. The Justice Department has not announced a replacement for diGenova, though officials told Jang the investigation will proceed under local U.S. attorney management under Jason A. Reding Quiñones. Jang also reports no criminal charges have been filed despite recent subpoenas to figures like Brennan, leaving the probe's future — and whether it can produce any indictments — deeply uncertain as internal friction over timing continues to surface.