GEORGIA (WBAP/KLIF News) – The Department of Justice charged a federal contractor in Georgia on Monday with leaking classified materials to the press.
According to a DOJ release, 25-year-old Reality Leigh Winner, from Augusta, Georgia, with removing classified material from a government facility and mailing it to a news outlet.
Winner, a contractor with Plubirus International Corporation, had been employed at the facility since February 13 and has held a Top Secret clearance during that time.
According to the DOJ release, around May 9, Winner allegedly removed the classified national defense information from an intelligence community agency and mailed it to an online news outlet.
NBC News reported that the documents Winner allegedly leaked was published by The Intercept on Monday.
Investigators said Winner allegedly admitted to both taking and releasing the classified information.
The FBI arrested Winner at her home on Saturday, June 3, and she appeared in federal court in Augusta Monday afternoon.
Deputy Attorney General Rod. J. Rosenstein said her arrest should send a message about the dangers of releasing classified information.
“Releasing classified material without authorization threatens our nation’s security and undermines public faith in government. People who are trusted with classified information and pledge to protect it must be held accountable when they violate that obligation,” he said.
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