US accuses government contractor of leaking classified info to girlfriend’s Substack
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The US Justice Department accused a government contractor on Oct 23 of leaking national defence information to his girlfriend, the publisher of a Substack newsletter.
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Department → accuse → newsletter
The FBI arrested Ian Brinksman, 42, on Oct 23 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 defence information.
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A federal public defender representing Brinksman declined to comment.
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defender → represent → Brinksman
“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.
“That is not carelessness.
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It is a betrayal of his oath and the American people who entrusted him to fulfil his duties honourably,” 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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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, e-mails and other evidence.
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The affidavit only identifies the journalist as “Individual 1”, but it cites excerpts from articles she published.
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“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 Sept 28 piece published on the Capital & Empire online newsletter authored by Aida Chavez.
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quote → appear → Chavez
“Over the past year, I’ve published reporting based on classified CIA assessments that I believe the public deserves to know about,” wrote Chavez, 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
Chavez did not immediately respond to an e-mail message seeking comment.
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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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On some of those dates, Chavez 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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The State Department said it needed more time to respond before commenting.
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