Via Washington
Examiner:
A
25-year-old federal contractor is facing charges she leaked a classified
National Security Agency document to a news outlet in May. The charges come
about an hour after the publication of a story based on an NSA document
detailing Russian attempts to hack American voting systems.
Reality
Leigh Winner, of Augusta, Ga., is facing charges that she removed classified
material from a government facility and mailed it to a news outlet. She was
arrested on Saturday and appeared on the charge Monday.
The
announcement comes shortly after The Intercept published a report based on a
classified intelligence document showing Russian government hackers attempted
to hack more than 100 local election officials before the November election.
According
to the report, Russian military intelligence sent the emails to local elections
officials. They also attempted a cyber attack on at least one American voting
software supplier.
The
Justice Department didn’t confirm that Winner leaked the document to The
Intercept, but the report stated the report received by the news outlet was
dated May 5. According to the Justice Department release, Winner printed and
removed the classified document on May 9.
Winner
worked for Pluribus International Corporation and was assigned to a government
facility in Georgia. She’s held a Top Secret classified security clearance
since being hired on Feb. 13.
She
is accused of sending the classified document to a news outlet a few days after
printing it off. More
