On Friday, the US Justice Department charged a government contractor with leaking national defense secrets to his girlfriend, who publishes a Substack newsletter.
The FBI took Ian Brinksman, 42, into custody after conducting a search at his home in Washington, according to a statement from the Justice Department.
He faces charges for unlawfully sharing sensitive national defense information.
Brinksman’s public defender did not provide comments regarding the case.
John Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for national security, expressed that Brinksman’s actions significantly exceeded what was expected of him, alleging that he shared critical national secrets with a romantic partner whom he knew intended to make them public.
This, Eisenberg stated, reflects a serious breach of duty rather than mere carelessness, emphasizing the betrayal to both his oath and the trust of the American people.
While Brinksman held a top-secret security clearance with a US government agency, he later worked with a private contractor that collaborated with the same agency, prosecutors noted.
According to an FBI affidavit, Brinksman accessed classified intelligence reports repeatedly and communicated details to the journalist.
The affidavit lists various forms of evidence, including phone records, database access logs, badge-swipe records, and emails.
The journalist is referred to as “Individual 1” in the affidavit, which includes excerpts from her published articles.
One of these articles, attributed to Individual 1, reportedly 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.” This was found in a September 28 article attributed to Aída Chávez on the Capital & Empire newsletter.
According to investigators, Individual 1 published at least five articles in 2026 that echoed top-secret CIA reports, and some of these were linked directly to classified intelligence.
Chávez’s profile on the newsletter site mentions her previous experience with outlets such as the Nation prior to her current work.
She did not reply immediately to a request for comment sent via email.
In those articles published on specific dates, some referenced classified CIA reports. Furthermore, Brinksman’s LinkedIn suggests he held managerial and senior consulting positions at Deloitte after his time as a foreign service officer with the US State Department, coinciding with the timeline provided by the Justice Department.
Deloitte has not yet responded to requests for comments, and the State Department mentioned it requires more time before providing a statement.
