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.”

Video: After Dozens of US Historical Statues Removed by Left, Indians in TX Have Built Gargantuan 90 Ft. Statue to Pagan ‘God’

Trump allies building ‘lawfare’ defense apparatus before possible Democratic takeover

Judge Blocks Blue State from Making Nuns Perform Assisted Suicide But It’s Not Over Yet

House GOP not done with ActBlue after bombshell internal memos raise foreign cash questions

GOP takes aim at Congress’ next ‘get filthy rich’ loophole after stock-trading ban

Socialists are helping GOP campaigns heading into November

‘I am guilty’: How Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano keeps letting killers off with insanity pleas

Manhunt underway in California after armed suspect allegedly points gun at people, shoots at officers

Patrick Clancy in his own words: Top takeaways from grieving father’s first interview

Lindsay Clancy holdout juror makes new promise as lawyer warns of public attacks

Breaking: ICE Shooting Rocks Austin – Protesters Clash with Officers, Democrats Condemn Agency with Few Facts Available

ICE shooting rocks Austin as Democrat demands bodycam video, independent probe

Massachusetts’ plan to offer postpartum screening home visits sparks online debate

Cops flush homecoming prank plans after seizing 650 toilet paper rolls in ‘Operation Clean Sweep’

Trump to meet with Mamdani in New York amid high-stakes midterm push

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.”