Ex-Obama officials face federal grand jury probe into whether they promoted false Trump-Russia ties

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has convened a federal grand jury to investigate former Obama administration officials who allegedly conspired to foment a scandal about President Trump’s purported links to Russia during the 2016 election campaign, The Post has learned.

The major legal development opens the door to criminal charges against prominent Cabinet members who served then-President Barack Obama, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey.

It was not immediately clear whether the grand jury would be based in heavily Democratic Washington, DC or elsewhere.

Trump and current DNI Tulsi Gabbard have called for a federal investigation into the early days of the Russia collusion probe dubbed “Crossfire Hurricane” — though the commander in chief himself has acknowledged that his predecessor likely is immune from prosecution due to a 2024 Supreme Court ruling on the criminality of official presidential acts.

The president has accused the former officials of a treasonous and seditious conspiracy to undermine his first-term agenda, ultimately consuming more than two years in leaky investigations before special counsel Robert Mueller turned up no evidence of collusion.

This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.