News Opinons Politics

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.”


House GOP slammed by conservatives for joining Dems on controversial ‘kill switch’ amendment
Trump keeps Macron under spotlight as Greenland talks grind forward from Davos
Dem. Rep. Melts down Over Boy, 5, Rescued by ICE – But Where Was She When Biden Left 300k Kids to Sex Trafficking and/or Abandonment?
She Hurt for Him: Priceless Video Shows Woman Behind Jack Smith Looking Like She’s in Physical Pain as GOP Reps Repeatedly Expose Him as Fraud
Trump Yanks ‘Prestigious’ Board of Peace Offer from Canada After War of Words at Davos
Venezuelan national accused of claiming control over Arizona community, threatening residents: report
Former Uvalde school officer says he doesn’t regret actions after not guilty verdict
J6 Cop Coughs Vulgar Curse to Republican Rep During Jack Smith Hearing
Liberal activist groups organize Minneapolis high schoolers to protest against ICE
Border Patrol union chief touts high morale despite clashes with agitators: ‘They are patriotic’
WATCH: Former ICE director reveals what goes into agency’s decisions on cities to target
Democrats push to blacklist ICE officers from future government jobs
NEA insider blows whistle on ‘toxic’ culture and far-left politics inside teachers union: ‘It’s a cult’
Trump Forces the Fake News to Stare at the Mugshots of Violent Illegal Criminals Caught By ICE
GOP Barely Passes DHS, ICE Funding Thanks to 7 Democrats Who Defied Their Party

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.

See also  Maine’s bipartisan brand of political nepotism

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.”


House GOP slammed by conservatives for joining Dems on controversial ‘kill switch’ amendment
Trump keeps Macron under spotlight as Greenland talks grind forward from Davos
Dem. Rep. Melts down Over Boy, 5, Rescued by ICE – But Where Was She When Biden Left 300k Kids to Sex Trafficking and/or Abandonment?
She Hurt for Him: Priceless Video Shows Woman Behind Jack Smith Looking Like She’s in Physical Pain as GOP Reps Repeatedly Expose Him as Fraud
Trump Yanks ‘Prestigious’ Board of Peace Offer from Canada After War of Words at Davos
Venezuelan national accused of claiming control over Arizona community, threatening residents: report
Former Uvalde school officer says he doesn’t regret actions after not guilty verdict
J6 Cop Coughs Vulgar Curse to Republican Rep During Jack Smith Hearing
Liberal activist groups organize Minneapolis high schoolers to protest against ICE
Border Patrol union chief touts high morale despite clashes with agitators: ‘They are patriotic’
WATCH: Former ICE director reveals what goes into agency’s decisions on cities to target
Democrats push to blacklist ICE officers from future government jobs
NEA insider blows whistle on ‘toxic’ culture and far-left politics inside teachers union: ‘It’s a cult’
Trump Forces the Fake News to Stare at the Mugshots of Violent Illegal Criminals Caught By ICE
GOP Barely Passes DHS, ICE Funding Thanks to 7 Democrats Who Defied Their Party
See also  What will Trump’s Greenland obsession mean for the future of NATO?

Frese’s is one of six criminal cases the Justice Department has filed related to unauthorized disclosures in the last two years, the agency said.

Story cited here.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter