US accuses government contractor of leaking classified info to girlfriend’s Substack
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US → accuse → Substack
The US Justice Department accused a government contractor on Friday of leaking national defense information to his girlfriend, the publisher of a Substack newsletter.
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Department → accuse → newsletter
The FBI arrested Ian Brinksman, 42, on Friday following a search of his Washington home, a Justice Department statement said.
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statement → arrest → home
Prosecutors charged him with unlawfully transmitting national defense information.
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A federal public defender representing Brinksman declined to comment.
“As alleged, Brinksman reached far outside his own duties to obtain some of our Nation’s most closely held secrets and handed them to a romantic partner he knew intended to publish them,” John Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for national security, said in the statement.
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Eisenberg → represent → statement
It is a betrayal of his oath and the American people who entrusted him to fulfill his duties honorably,” Eisenberg said.
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Eisenberg → entrust → duties
Brinksman held a top secret security clearance while working as an employee of a US government agency and later as a developer for systems integration for a private contractor working for the same agency, prosecutors said.
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prosecutors → hold → agency
According to the sworn affidavit of an FBI agent investigating the case, Brinksman repeatedly accessed classified intelligence reports and then communicated with the journalist.
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Brinksman → accord → journalist
The affidavit also cites phone records, database access logs, badge-swipe records, emails and other evidence.
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affidavit → cite → records
The affidavit only identifies the journalist as “Individual 1,” but it cites excerpts from articles she published.
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she → identify → articles
“A fundraising article reportedly published by Individual 1 in September 2026 stated ‘over the past year [Individual 1 has] published reporting based on classified [relevant US government agency] assessments that I believe the public deserves to know about,'” the affidavit reads.
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affidavit → publish → that
That quote appears in a September 28 piece published on the Capital & Empire online newsletter authored by Aída Chávez.
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quote → appear → Chávez
“Over the past year, I’ve published reporting based on classified CIA assessments that I believe the public deserves to know about,” wrote Chávez, whose profile on the site notes that she worked for the Nation and other outlets before she launched the newsletter.
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she → publish → newsletter
Chávez did not immediately respond to an email message seeking comment.
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Chávez → respond → comment
Investigators allege that on at least five occasions in 2026, Individual 1 published Substack articles containing information that mirrored the classified reports, some at the top secret level.
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that → allege → level
On some of those dates, Chávez published articles that cite classified reports, some of them attributed to the CIA.
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some → publish → CIA
According to a LinkedIn profile bearing Brinksman’s name, he worked for Deloitte as a manager and as a senior strategy security consultant after having worked as a US State Department foreign service officer at dates corresponding to those outlined in the Justice Department statement.
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he → accord → statement
Deloitte did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Deloitte → respond → comment
The State Department said it needed more time to respond before commenting.
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it → say → time
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