Florida Probe Ignites Fresh Scrutiny Into 2016 Russia Election Hoax - The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

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[00:00]
Podcast Host
This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.
[00:05]
Commentator
I watched AOC answering questions in Munich. This was not a good look for the United States. Aoc, I never really got her. I never heard her speak very much. They started answering questions. She had no idea what was happening. She had no idea how to answer, you know, very important questions concerning the world.
[00:23]
Ben Ferguson
You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
[00:27]
Good Wednesday morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. And we've got a very big story for you. The Department of Justice has issued new subpoenas in the Russian election interference response. This is what accountability looks like for the left going after Donald Trump and trying to take him out. It was nothing more than a coup attempt and now they're having to answer for it. And we have the details. It's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now. So the DOJ has issued new subpoenas in the Russian election interference, interference case. But I want to take you back and remind you quickly of what got us to where we are today and this accountability. After the 2016 election, US intelligence agencies run by, you guessed it, the radicals and the deep state, including the FBI, the CIA and the nsa, concluded that the Russian government directed a broad influence campaign targeting the US Election with a goal of undermining confidence and in the democratic process and harming, they say, Hillary Clinton's campaign. Now, they assess that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, quote, preferred Donald Trump as the eventual winner, though they did not allege precise vote tampering or directly changing the results. It was simply done as a mind game to screw with those on election day and forcing them into trying to go with Hillary Clinton or well after Donald Trump shocked the world, the deep state decided they had to fight back, even though the people elected him as president. Fast forward to the special counsel, Robert Mueller being appointed in 2017 to investigate both the Russian interference and whether there was criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia. Now, the findings on the interference were pretty clear. Mueller's report documented that Russia engaged in a, quote, sweeping and systematic influence effort, including cyber hacking and disinformation tactics. Then they said there was a social media operation. A Russian organization called Internet Research Agency, or ira, ran extensive social media campaigns aimed at sowing political division in the US and at times amplifying support for Trump policies and criticism, they claimed, of Hillary Clinton. And then there was the hacking and the leaks. Russian intelligence operatives, they said, hacked the Democratic Party systems, including the Clinton campaign, the DNC, and released stolen material through intermediaries like WikiLeaks. Now, at the end of the day, what we found out was reality. There was no criminal conspiracy. This is all made up in a lie to attack and undermine Donald Trump and ultimately to get Donald Trump out of office. It was a coup to impeach Donald Trump. The Mueller investigation ultimately found no sufficient evidence that the Trump campaign or its associates conspired in any way or coordinated with Russian government efforts in a way that met federal criminal law standards. So you look at that reality and just reminding you of how we got to where we are today. And then there's the big question of accountability. When the government went rogue to undermine the American people, the will of the people, and to try to overthrow a president of the United States of America, was there ever going to be accountability for that? Fast forward to now what we are learning and you're going to love this. The Justice Department has now issued new subpoenas in a Florida based investigation targeting individuals who pursued actions against then President Donald Trump, as well as examining the US government's response to the Russian interference in the 2016 election that according to people familiar with the matter. An initial wave of subpoenas in November asked recipients for documents related to the preparation of a US Intelligence community assessment that detailed a sweeping multi prong effort by Moscow to help Trump defeat the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. Now though the first subpoenas requested documents from the months surrounding the January 2017 publication of the Obama administration intelligence assessment, the latest subpoenas seek any records from the years since then, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press to discuss a non public demand from investigators. Now the Justice Department declined to comment as well on this new breaking news. The subpoenas represent continued investigative activity and one of several criminal inquiries the Justice Department has undertaken into Trump's political opponents. An array of former intelligence and law enforcement officials have received subpoenas and lawyers now for former CIA Director John Brennan, who helped oversee the drafting of the assessment, have said they have been informed that he is a target of, but have not been told of any, quote, legally justifiable basis they claim for undertaking this investigation. Now that brings us back to that exact story of what happened late last year. Greta Van Sustrom had this to say as she talked to Jim Jordans about the beginnings of this investigation.
[06:22]
Greta Van Susteren
Former CIA Director John Brennan, who hates President Trump and says Trump is a national security risk, is in hot water. Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee referred Brennan to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution. Why? Well, the criminal referral Letter says that the former CIA director knowingly made false statements to Congress about his alleged role in the, quote, Russia collusion hoax. In the criminal referral letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan wrote, quote, brennan's testimony before the committee on May 11, 2023, was a brazen attempt to to knowingly and willfully testify falsely and fictitiously to material facts, end quote. Earlier, I spoke with the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan. Mr. Chairman, nice to speak to you, sir.
[07:09]
Jim Jordan
Good to be with you, Greta.
[07:11]
Greta Van Susteren
You have made a criminal referral to the Department of Justice. Tell me what it is and why.
[07:16]
Jim Jordan
Well, I mean, you're not supposed to lie. We all know that. And you're definitely not supposed to lie when you're under oath talking to Congress. I mean, this is, you know this, Greta, as a skilled counselor like you are, 18 USC Section 1000, 2001. You're not supposed to do that. And it sure looks like that's exactly what John Brennan did. He told us he wasn't involved at all with the dossier when they put the intelligence community assessment. He said he didn't want it referenced in the intelligence community assessment back in 2016, 2017. And yet, because of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassifying a House Intelligence Committee's report, it looks like that is exactly wrong, what Brennan said, because in that report, they said John Brennan put in writing. Yes, include the dossier in the, in the intelligence community assessment. And there was a situation where one individual at The CIA approached Mr. Brennan and said, hey, this dossier doesn't stand up. The underlying intelligence is just not there. It's garbage. It shouldn't be in the report. And Mr. Brennan's response was, yeah, but doesn't it seem right? Doesn't it fit? I mean, he was out to get the president. I think that's obvious from what ODNI Director Gabbard declassified and made available to the public. So I don't do many of these, really, over the years, haven't done many referrals, because I think it's got to be really solid before you do something like this. But this is one where I think the evidence is clear. Mr. Brennan told us under oath he was not involved with the dossier. It wasn't used when in fact, it was.
[08:57]
Ben Ferguson
Now, it's very clear from what you just heard there from Congressman Jim Jordan that the former CIA Director John Brennan is an individual who hated Trump and at all costs was willing to do whatever it took to take him down. And you can look at the intelligence community assessment that was published in the final days of the Obama administration. It found that Russia had, quote, developed a clear preference, their words, for Trump in the 2016 election, and that Russian President Putin had ordered an influence campaign with the goals of undermining confidence in American democracy or harming Clinton's chance of victory. This was all, well, a lie. That conclusion and a related investigation to whether the 2016 Trump campaign concluded with Russia to sway the outcome of the election has long been among the Republican president's chief grievances, as it should be. And Trump vowed to make sure that there was transparency on the issue. We also know that the former FBI director James Comey was indicted by the Trump administration last year on false statement and obstruction charges. Those cases were later dismissed. Multiple government reports, including bipartisan congressional reviews and a criminal investigation by the former special counsel Robert Mueller, have found that Russia interfered, they claim, in Trump's favor through a hack and leak operation of Democratic emails as well as a covert social media campaign aimed at sowing discord and swaying American public opinion. Now, all of this is now coming to a head and Donald Trump's administration is now freshly scrutinizing the intelligence community's assessment and in part because a classified version of it's incorporated in its annex a summary of the Steele dossier as well as a complication of Democratic Fund opposition research that was assembled by the liar, you know, the former British spy Christopher Steele, that would be the Steele dossier and was provided to the FBI. That research into Trump's potential leaks to Russia included uncorroborated rumors and salacious gossip. And Trump has long held up that as the weakness in an effort to make it clear that the entire Russia investigation was a hoax from the very beginning. Now the investigation in Florida appears to be part of a broader effort to revisit years old findings and decisions from the Russia investigation. A declassified CIA tradecraft review revealed last July by current director John Radcliffe did not refute the conclusion of Russian election interference, but found multiple procedural abnormalities in the intelligence community's assessment. Ann chided Brennan for the fact that the classified version referenced the Steele dossier, which they knew was user generated and a lie. Finally, Brennan testified to Congress and also wrote in his memoir that he was opposed to including information from the dossier in the intelligence assessment since neither its substance nor sources had been validated. And he said the dossier did not inform the judgments of the assessment. He continues to maintain the FBI pushed for its inclusion. One thing's for sure, someone's lying. More than likely, a lot of people are lying. And the big question now is, will there be accountability for this? That's exactly what this investigation clearly seems to be doing and wanting to get to the bottom of all of it so we don't have to worry about these types of bad actors in our government abusing their power moving forward.
[13:05]
Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.
[13:21]
Podcast Host
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary: The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: Florida Probe Ignites Fresh Scrutiny Into 2016 Russia Election Hoax
Date: February 18, 2026
Host: Ben Ferguson (Premiere Networks)

Overview

In this episode, Ben Ferguson covers breaking news about the Department of Justice issuing new subpoenas in a Florida-based investigation connected to allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Ferguson critically examines the origins and evolution of the Russia investigation, the involvement of intelligence agencies, and the recent scrutiny of former officials like John Brennan. The episode features excerpts from Greta Van Susteren and an interview with Congressman Jim Jordan, investigating alleged misconduct, false statements, and lack of accountability surrounding the Russia inquiry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Context: DOJ Subpoenas and the 2016 Election Probe

Ferguson recounts the DOJ's new subpoenas regarding the intelligence community’s response to Russian interference claims.
Reminds listeners of the initial U.S. intelligence assessment post-2016 election, which asserted Russian efforts to undermine confidence in democracy and favored Trump (01:00–02:50).
Emphasizes that while Russia’s interference was claimed, no evidence surfaced for direct vote tampering or criminal Trump-Russia conspiracy (03:41).

"At the end of the day, what we found out was reality. There was no criminal conspiracy. This is all made up in a lie to attack and undermine Donald Trump..." (04:11, Ben Ferguson)

2. Accountability and the ‘Deep State’

Ferguson frames the original Russia probe as a "coup attempt" by unelected bureaucrats to undermine Trump’s victory (01:35).
He questions whether the government will ever hold itself accountable for alleged attempts to “overthrow a president.” (05:00).

“When the government went rogue to undermine the American people, the will of the people, and to try to overthrow a president of the United States of America, was there ever going to be accountability for that?” (05:00, Ben Ferguson)

3. Details of the New Florida Investigation

The Florida-based probe targets individuals linked to actions against Trump and critically revisits the U.S. government’s response to alleged Russian interference.
Initial subpoenas focused on documents from around the January 2017 intelligence assessment (05:41). New subpoenas seek records from subsequent years (05:52).
Former CIA Director John Brennan has been informed he is a target but claims no legal basis for investigation (06:01).

“Lawyers now for former CIA Director John Brennan ... have said they have been informed that he is a target ... but have not been told of any, quote, legally justifiable basis...” (05:58, Ben Ferguson)

4. Criminal Referral of John Brennan

Greta Van Susteren covers the House Judiciary Committee’s criminal referral of Brennan to DOJ for allegedly lying to Congress about his role in the “Russia collusion hoax” (06:22).
Jim Jordan explains the referral, citing Brennan’s contradictions regarding the use of the Steele dossier in the intelligence community assessment (07:16–08:29).

“He told us he wasn’t involved at all with the dossier ... and yet ... John Brennan put in writing: Yes, include the dossier in the intelligence community assessment.” (07:40, Jim Jordan)

5. Disputes Over the Steele Dossier and Intelligence Process

Ferguson elaborates how the Steele dossier, containing opposition research, became central to the dispute (10:00–11:20).
Former intelligence officials are accused of including uncorroborated material and misleading both Congress and the public.
The episode highlights internal clashes: Brennan claimed he opposed including dossier info; others allege he supported it.

“Someone’s lying. More than likely, a lot of people are lying. And the big question now is, will there be accountability for this?” (12:08, Ben Ferguson)

6. Broader Implications and Ongoing Accountability

Ferguson frames the Florida probe as part of a broader attempt by the current Trump administration to revisit and potentially overturn findings from earlier investigations (11:43–13:04).
Emphasizes the need to prevent government overreach and abuse of investigatory power in the future.

“That’s exactly what this investigation clearly seems to be doing and wanting to get to the bottom of all of it so we don’t have to worry about these types of bad actors in our government abusing their power moving forward.” (12:27, Ben Ferguson)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Brennan’s motivations:
“The former CIA Director John Brennan is an individual who hated Trump and at all costs was willing to do whatever it took to take him down.” (08:58, Ben Ferguson)
On legal standards:
“You’re not supposed to lie. We all know that. And you’re definitely not supposed to lie when you’re under oath talking to Congress.” (07:17, Jim Jordan)
On the intelligence assessment’s flaws:
“A declassified CIA tradecraft review ... found multiple procedural abnormalities in the intelligence community’s assessment. And chided Brennan for the fact that the classified version referenced the Steele dossier, which they knew was user generated and a lie.” (11:14, Ben Ferguson)
Final assessment:
“Someone’s lying. More than likely, a lot of people are lying. And the big question now is, will there be accountability for this?” (12:08, Ben Ferguson)

Important Segment Timestamps

DOJ New Subpoenas Announced: 01:30–04:00
Recap of 2016 Russia Investigation Origins: 02:00–05:00
Greta Van Susteren & Jim Jordan on Brennan Referral: 06:22–08:56
Discussion of the Steele Dossier & Intelligence Community Assessment: 10:00–11:20
Summary Reflections and Broader Accountability Theme: 11:43–13:04

Tone and Language

Ben Ferguson’s approach is direct and accusatory, consistently framing the Russia probe as a politically motivated hoax. The episode maintains a skeptical and outraged tone regarding intelligence officials and opponents of Donald Trump. Greta Van Susteren and Jim Jordan’s exchange adds a legal and investigative perspective.

In Summary

This episode explores the re-ignition of scrutiny over the 2016 Russia probe, focusing on Justice Department subpoenas, John Brennan’s alleged misconduct, and broader issues of government accountability. Ferguson and guests argue forcefully that the investigation into Trump was baseless, with renewed efforts to hold architects of the original probe responsible. The episode is dense with political critique and calls for transparency, appealing to listeners skeptical of the intelligence community’s past actions.

Loading summary

Transcript11 lines

[00:00]
Podcast Host
This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.
[00:05]
Commentator
I watched AOC answering questions in Munich. This was not a good look for the United States. Aoc, I never really got her. I never heard her speak very much. They started answering questions. She had no idea what was happening. She had no idea how to answer, you know, very important questions concerning the world.
[00:23]
Ben Ferguson
You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
[00:27]
Good Wednesday morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. And we've got a very big story for you. The Department of Justice has issued new subpoenas in the Russian election interference response. This is what accountability looks like for the left going after Donald Trump and trying to take him out. It was nothing more than a coup attempt and now they're having to answer for it. And we have the details. It's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now. So the DOJ has issued new subpoenas in the Russian election interference, interference case. But I want to take you back and remind you quickly of what got us to where we are today and this accountability. After the 2016 election, US intelligence agencies run by, you guessed it, the radicals and the deep state, including the FBI, the CIA and the nsa, concluded that the Russian government directed a broad influence campaign targeting the US Election with a goal of undermining confidence and in the democratic process and harming, they say, Hillary Clinton's campaign. Now, they assess that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, quote, preferred Donald Trump as the eventual winner, though they did not allege precise vote tampering or directly changing the results. It was simply done as a mind game to screw with those on election day and forcing them into trying to go with Hillary Clinton or well after Donald Trump shocked the world, the deep state decided they had to fight back, even though the people elected him as president. Fast forward to the special counsel, Robert Mueller being appointed in 2017 to investigate both the Russian interference and whether there was criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia. Now, the findings on the interference were pretty clear. Mueller's report documented that Russia engaged in a, quote, sweeping and systematic influence effort, including cyber hacking and disinformation tactics. Then they said there was a social media operation. A Russian organization called Internet Research Agency, or ira, ran extensive social media campaigns aimed at sowing political division in the US and at times amplifying support for Trump policies and criticism, they claimed, of Hillary Clinton. And then there was the hacking and the leaks. Russian intelligence operatives, they said, hacked the Democratic Party systems, including the Clinton campaign, the DNC, and released stolen material through intermediaries like WikiLeaks. Now, at the end of the day, what we found out was reality. There was no criminal conspiracy. This is all made up in a lie to attack and undermine Donald Trump and ultimately to get Donald Trump out of office. It was a coup to impeach Donald Trump. The Mueller investigation ultimately found no sufficient evidence that the Trump campaign or its associates conspired in any way or coordinated with Russian government efforts in a way that met federal criminal law standards. So you look at that reality and just reminding you of how we got to where we are today. And then there's the big question of accountability. When the government went rogue to undermine the American people, the will of the people, and to try to overthrow a president of the United States of America, was there ever going to be accountability for that? Fast forward to now what we are learning and you're going to love this. The Justice Department has now issued new subpoenas in a Florida based investigation targeting individuals who pursued actions against then President Donald Trump, as well as examining the US government's response to the Russian interference in the 2016 election that according to people familiar with the matter. An initial wave of subpoenas in November asked recipients for documents related to the preparation of a US Intelligence community assessment that detailed a sweeping multi prong effort by Moscow to help Trump defeat the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. Now though the first subpoenas requested documents from the months surrounding the January 2017 publication of the Obama administration intelligence assessment, the latest subpoenas seek any records from the years since then, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press to discuss a non public demand from investigators. Now the Justice Department declined to comment as well on this new breaking news. The subpoenas represent continued investigative activity and one of several criminal inquiries the Justice Department has undertaken into Trump's political opponents. An array of former intelligence and law enforcement officials have received subpoenas and lawyers now for former CIA Director John Brennan, who helped oversee the drafting of the assessment, have said they have been informed that he is a target of, but have not been told of any, quote, legally justifiable basis they claim for undertaking this investigation. Now that brings us back to that exact story of what happened late last year. Greta Van Sustrom had this to say as she talked to Jim Jordans about the beginnings of this investigation.
[06:22]
Greta Van Susteren
Former CIA Director John Brennan, who hates President Trump and says Trump is a national security risk, is in hot water. Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee referred Brennan to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution. Why? Well, the criminal referral Letter says that the former CIA director knowingly made false statements to Congress about his alleged role in the, quote, Russia collusion hoax. In the criminal referral letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan wrote, quote, brennan's testimony before the committee on May 11, 2023, was a brazen attempt to to knowingly and willfully testify falsely and fictitiously to material facts, end quote. Earlier, I spoke with the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan. Mr. Chairman, nice to speak to you, sir.
[07:09]
Jim Jordan
Good to be with you, Greta.
[07:11]
Greta Van Susteren
You have made a criminal referral to the Department of Justice. Tell me what it is and why.
[07:16]
Jim Jordan
Well, I mean, you're not supposed to lie. We all know that. And you're definitely not supposed to lie when you're under oath talking to Congress. I mean, this is, you know this, Greta, as a skilled counselor like you are, 18 USC Section 1000, 2001. You're not supposed to do that. And it sure looks like that's exactly what John Brennan did. He told us he wasn't involved at all with the dossier when they put the intelligence community assessment. He said he didn't want it referenced in the intelligence community assessment back in 2016, 2017. And yet, because of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassifying a House Intelligence Committee's report, it looks like that is exactly wrong, what Brennan said, because in that report, they said John Brennan put in writing. Yes, include the dossier in the, in the intelligence community assessment. And there was a situation where one individual at The CIA approached Mr. Brennan and said, hey, this dossier doesn't stand up. The underlying intelligence is just not there. It's garbage. It shouldn't be in the report. And Mr. Brennan's response was, yeah, but doesn't it seem right? Doesn't it fit? I mean, he was out to get the president. I think that's obvious from what ODNI Director Gabbard declassified and made available to the public. So I don't do many of these, really, over the years, haven't done many referrals, because I think it's got to be really solid before you do something like this. But this is one where I think the evidence is clear. Mr. Brennan told us under oath he was not involved with the dossier. It wasn't used when in fact, it was.
[08:57]
Ben Ferguson
Now, it's very clear from what you just heard there from Congressman Jim Jordan that the former CIA Director John Brennan is an individual who hated Trump and at all costs was willing to do whatever it took to take him down. And you can look at the intelligence community assessment that was published in the final days of the Obama administration. It found that Russia had, quote, developed a clear preference, their words, for Trump in the 2016 election, and that Russian President Putin had ordered an influence campaign with the goals of undermining confidence in American democracy or harming Clinton's chance of victory. This was all, well, a lie. That conclusion and a related investigation to whether the 2016 Trump campaign concluded with Russia to sway the outcome of the election has long been among the Republican president's chief grievances, as it should be. And Trump vowed to make sure that there was transparency on the issue. We also know that the former FBI director James Comey was indicted by the Trump administration last year on false statement and obstruction charges. Those cases were later dismissed. Multiple government reports, including bipartisan congressional reviews and a criminal investigation by the former special counsel Robert Mueller, have found that Russia interfered, they claim, in Trump's favor through a hack and leak operation of Democratic emails as well as a covert social media campaign aimed at sowing discord and swaying American public opinion. Now, all of this is now coming to a head and Donald Trump's administration is now freshly scrutinizing the intelligence community's assessment and in part because a classified version of it's incorporated in its annex a summary of the Steele dossier as well as a complication of Democratic Fund opposition research that was assembled by the liar, you know, the former British spy Christopher Steele, that would be the Steele dossier and was provided to the FBI. That research into Trump's potential leaks to Russia included uncorroborated rumors and salacious gossip. And Trump has long held up that as the weakness in an effort to make it clear that the entire Russia investigation was a hoax from the very beginning. Now the investigation in Florida appears to be part of a broader effort to revisit years old findings and decisions from the Russia investigation. A declassified CIA tradecraft review revealed last July by current director John Radcliffe did not refute the conclusion of Russian election interference, but found multiple procedural abnormalities in the intelligence community's assessment. Ann chided Brennan for the fact that the classified version referenced the Steele dossier, which they knew was user generated and a lie. Finally, Brennan testified to Congress and also wrote in his memoir that he was opposed to including information from the dossier in the intelligence assessment since neither its substance nor sources had been validated. And he said the dossier did not inform the judgments of the assessment. He continues to maintain the FBI pushed for its inclusion. One thing's for sure, someone's lying. More than likely, a lot of people are lying. And the big question now is, will there be accountability for this? That's exactly what this investigation clearly seems to be doing and wanting to get to the bottom of all of it so we don't have to worry about these types of bad actors in our government abusing their power moving forward.
[13:05]
Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.
[13:21]
Podcast Host
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.