This is The New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of W.N.N.Y.C. Studios and The New Yorker. Welcome to the New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick. John Brennan is or was a career CIA man. He did daily intelligence briefings for Bill Clinton. He held senior CIA positions under George W. Bush, and Barack Obama made him director of the agency.

Brennan's tenure included the controversial drone program, as well as the infamous steel dossier on presidential candidate Donald Trump.

We first went through Russia, Russia, Russia.

It was all bullshit.

At the very end of his tenure, the CIA compiled a report on Russian interference in the 2016

election.

And after that report came out, Donald Trump revoked John Brennan's security clearance.

Now, as the Jeffrey Epstein controversy is roiling this administration, the Russia investigation

is back into the headlines. Trump's Justice Department has opened up a criminal investigation

of John Brennan, and James Comey, the former FBI director, is also being

investigated. The FBI is investigating Brennan for allegedly lying to Congress.

James Comey and John Brennan, now under criminal investigation related to the Trump-Russia probe.

Do you want to see these two guys behind bars?

Well, I know nothing about it other than what I read today, but I will tell you, I think

they're very dishonest people. I think they're crooked as hell. And maybe they have to pay

a price for that. I believe they are truly bad people and dishonest people.

So whatever happens happens.

I reached former CIA director John Brennan last week, and he was speaking from a hotel room.

Are you on the road somewhere?

Yeah.

I'm in an area that you are very familiar with and grew up in. I'm in Saddlebrook, New Jersey, right now. Because I think you have roots in... I'm a Hillsdale boy. Hillsdale, Paramus. I guess we were born in Hackensack. I was... Somebody slipped you a little Wikipedia or something. No, I'm an intel officer. Yeah, I was going to say you know more than that. Well, I grew up in Hudson County, so this is the area where I'm from. Did they use Wikipedia in the CIA? I'm sure they do. I see. I see. You've been having a hell of a week. I've been having a hell of a life and career.

This is all very interesting.

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