Overview
- NOTUS reported an internal FBI team called the “payback squad,” while a senior official denied the name and said staff were referring to the Director’s Advisory Team formed in 2025.
- Sources told NOTUS the team is building a “grand conspiracy” case to charge former officials and could seek an indictment of former CIA director John Brennan in South Florida.
- The Independent reported the Florida investigation has issued more than 100 subpoenas and is led by Joseph diGenova, a Trump ally now serving as counselor to the attorney general.
- Members of the Director’s Advisory Team, including former FBI agent John Eckenrode, have discussed the Brennan probe with prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida and work off-site on temporary rotations.
- A senior FBI official said the unit’s stated goal is to probe past abuses of power, while FBI Director Kash Patel faced Senate scrutiny over his leadership and said the bureau is not targeting journalists.