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.”

Trump hails America as ‘most exceptional nation ever to exist’ in Mount Rushmore speech

Trump warns of ‘resurgence of the Communist menace’ during Mount Rushmore America 250 speech

Mamdani Trashes USA on Eve of July 4th as Land of Inequality, Racial Bias

WATCH LIVE: Trump gives Independence Day eve speech at Mount Rushmore

Fourth of July app guides spectators through nine-hour air show from NASA jets to B-1 bombers

Three dead, 7 rescued in boating tragedy as severe holiday weekend storm ravages Wisconsin tourist hot spot

US Coast Guard saves 8, including infant and child, after vessel capsizes off Fort Myers Beach

Military allies, historic tall ships converge on New Jersey shores to launch America 250 celebrations

Watch: Tokyo, Japan, Puts Blue States, Cities to Shame with July 4th Celebration

Trump grants pardons to ‘persecuted’ mechanics in right-to-repair crackdown: ‘I am setting them all free’

Police swarm Michigan shopping center after ‘significant’ shooting incident; at least 2 dead

US military deploys MTVRs, airlifts aid to Venezuela following deadly earthquakes

UPDATE: Strange Findings – DHS Investigators Release Report on Secret Service Failures at Butler Assassination Attempt

Op-Ed: Make Colombia Free Again, Bring Us Back to Our Judeo-Christian Roots

Who Should Be Held Accountable for Climate Alarmism?

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.”