Intelligence Employee Leaked Top Secret Information to Reporter With Whom He Was Romantically Involved, Feds Say

An employee for the Defense Intelligence Agency was arrested Wednesday on accusations that he disclosed classified information to two journalists, one of whom he had a romantic relationship with, the Justice Department said.

Henry Kyle Frese, 30, of Alexandria, was charged with two counts of willful transmission of national defense information, each carrying a maximum of 10 years imprisonment.

Federal prosecutors say Frese, whose government security clearance allowed him access to top secret and sensitive information, accessed multiple classified intelligence reports and leaked information about a foreign country’s weapons systems to a journalist. Authorities say some of the reports Frese accessed were unrelated to his job duties.

“Frese was caught red-handed disclosing sensitive national security information for personal gain,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said in a statement. “Frese betrayed the trust placed in him by the American people – a betrayal that risked harming the national security of this country.”

Dolly Parton Was Packing Heat, Recounted Fending Off Harasser with Gun in Resurfaced Clip

Meet the Literally Godless ‘Pro-Extinctionists’ Who Want to Exterminate Human Life Everywhere

Spanberger AG draws fire over two-front fight against Trump enforcement agenda

Gender equity, DEI, climate action: How the Smithsonian’s woke push ‘infiltrated’ America’s most beloved Zoo

Man accused of using fake Chief Justice Roberts signature to get own criminal case dismissed

Lindsay Clancy didn’t show ‘break with reality’ as jury weighs psychosis defense: Susan Smith prosecutor

El Sayed has ‘no plans’ to campaign with Hasan Piker after antisemitism concerns

Armed man arrested at Trump golf course allegedly had first lady’s schedule, notes on Secret Service: reports

ATF investigates ‘major’ cybersecurity incident as ransomware group claims attack

Hawley rips Flock’s sprawling surveillance web as Texas cities cut cameras over privacy and data fears

HEAR IT: 911 call captures horrifying first moments of deadly shooting at Seattle’s Bite of Seattle festival

Justice Thomas recalls why he wasn’t friends with Alito in law school: ‘Clarence, you were scary’

Trump’s lawyers put Dem AG on notice for targeting his family in NY fraud fight: ‘Cannot stand’

Evacuation Ordered After Canadian-Owned Gas Pipeline Springs Major Leak in US

Hegseth upgrades Abbey Gate Marines’ valor awards after 5-year delay: ‘Those days are over’

The unauthorized disclosures to the two reporters happened in 2018 and 2019. Prior to that, from August 2017 to August 2018, Frese and one of the reporters lived together and appeared to have been involved in a romantic relationship, authorities say. They did not name the two journalists involved and did not say what their media affiliations were.

In April 2018, after Frese accessed one of the intelligence reports, the journalist asked if he’d be willing to speak with another reporter, prosecutors say. Frese then said he was “down” to help the second journalist — a colleague at an affiliated but different news outlet, authorities say.

The journalist whom authorities believe had a relationship with Frese published six articles related to information that Frese leaked, authorities say.

Federal authorities said Frese was “captured” last month on court-authorized surveillance of his cell phone orally transmitting classified national defense information to the second journalist

“Henry Kyle Frese was entrusted with top secret information related to the national defense of our country,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney in Alexandria, Va. “Frese allegedly violated that trust, the oath he swore to uphold, and is charged with engaging in dastardly and felonious conduct at the expense of our country. This indictment should serve as a clear reminder to all of those similarly entrusted with National Defense Information that unilaterally disclosing such information for personal gain, or that of others, is not selfless or heroic, it is criminal.”