CIA contractor suspected of leaking information about Israel to his journalist girlfriend - and the sensitive information she published

A CIA contractor, Ian Brinksman, was arrested on suspicion of leaking classified information about Israel to his journalist girlfriend, Aida Chavez. The information appeared in articles she published, including a report warning of a civil war in Israel and an assessment that Israel pressured the Trump administration to assassinate an Iranian official. Chavez is not charged.

A CIA contractor, Ian Brinksman, was arrested on suspicion of leaking classified information about Israel to his partner, journalist Aida Chavez, who ran an independent news blog. According to an FBI affidavit, Brinksman, who held a Top Secret security clearance, exploited his access to intelligence systems to review sensitive reports and pass information to his partner. The information appeared in five articles published by Chavez, three of which dealt with Israel: a US intelligence report warning of a civil war in Israel, an assessment that Israel pressured the Trump administration to assassinate an Iranian official, and a document on Israel's efforts to secure long-term US security support. Investigators cross-referenced the times of access to classified documents with phone calls Brinksman made to Chavez and the publication dates of the articles. Chavez herself is not charged in the case.

CIA contractor suspected of leaking information about Israel to his journalist girlfriend - and the sensitive information she published