USA – Former US intelligence officials John Brennan and James Comey are under investigation for lying about ties between the 2016 US elections and Russia.

The move came after current CIA Director John Ratcliffe released a report last week saying John Brennan, his predecessor under President Barack Obama, and former FBI Director James Comey had “manipulated intelligence” in an Intelligence Community Assessment done shortly after the 2016 election, according to CNN.

“All the world can now see the truth: Brennan, former (Director of National Intelligence James) Clapper and Comey manipulated intelligence and silenced career professionals — all to get Trump. Thank you to the career @CIA officers who conducted this review and exposed the facts,” said Ratcliffe on X on July 2, the day he released the report.

CNN said it is not clear whether the FBI probe has moved beyond a preliminary stage, adding that a Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment, saying: “We do not comment on ongoing investigations.”

Trump fired Comey in May 2017, while Brennan stepped down on Jan. 20, 2017, the day Trump took office. Both were appointed by then-President Obama.

For years Trump has lambasted both officials. Asked Wednesday about the new FBI probe, Trump told reporters at the White house that Comey and Brennan are “very dishonest people,” adding: “I think they’re crooked as hell and maybe they have to pay a price for that.”

Comey and Brennan oversaw investigations into the Trump campaign’s connections to Russia, ties which Trump has slammed as a “hoax,” but which have been confirmed by a bipartisan congressional committee and numerous intelligence reports.

Trump has frequently claimed that he was unfairly targeted by multiple investigations, including the probe into Russia campaign ties, and urged US law enforcement to pursue those who investigated him.

Under reforms following the 1970s Watergate scandal in the presidency of Richard Nixon, a virtual wall was erected between the White House and the US Justice Department, discouraging the presidency from seeking to influence federal law enforcement. Trump has flouted these unofficial guidelines and urged the department to go after his political opponents and those he accuses of targeting him.