Prosecutors say Ian Brinksman used Top Secret access to obtain intelligence outside his duties and passed it to a Substack journalist he was dating.
The FBI arrested a CIA contractor accused of pulling classified intelligence outside his job and feeding it to a journalist girlfriend whose Substack later published reports that allegedly tracked the secret material.
The Justice Department charged Ian A. Brinksman, 42, with unlawfully transmitting national defense information after agents searched his Washington, D.C., residence Friday. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Brinksman had provided services to the agency.
DOJ alleges Brinksman held Top Secret clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information access. Prosecutors say he went “far outside his own duties” to obtain closely held intelligence and supplied it to a romantic partner he knew intended to publish it.
The affidavit calls the recipient “Individual 1.” Reuters identified her as Aída Chávez, publisher of Capital & Empire, after matching the document’s article excerpts to her Substack reporting.
Investigators allege five stories published in 2026 mirrored classified reports, some at the Top Secret level. The government says it built the case with intelligence-access logs, phone records, badge-swipe data, emails, and publication dates.
Ynet reported that three of the five allegedly connected stories concerned Israel, including reports on Israel’s dealings with Iran and a CIA assessment of internal instability. It also reported Chávez has not been charged.
The case alleges a direct leak pipeline from a CIA contractor’s secure access to his girlfriend’s publication. Brinksman is charged in a criminal complaint and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.