CIA contractor charged with leaking secret reports on Israel to journalist girlfriend

A CIA contractor with a top-secret clearance has been arrested and charged under the Espionage Act with passing classified reports, including assessments on Israel and the Iran war, to a romantic partner who published them on her Substack, prosecutors say.

The FBI has arrested Ian A. Brinksman, a 42-year-old CIA contractor from Washington, D.C., on charges of unlawfully transmitting national defense information to a romantic partner who ran an independent news publication on Substack, according to an affidavit filed in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Brinksman, who held a top-secret clearance and worked on data transfers between classified and unclassified systems, was arrested Friday after a search of his home. The Espionage Act charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The CIA's Original Headquarters Building (file photo)

Reports on Israel and the Iran war

Prosecutors allege that between March and October 2026, Brinksman accessed five top-secret reports unrelated to his duties and passed their contents to the journalist, identified in court papers only as "Individual 1." She has not been charged.

The reports allegedly covered Israel privately pressing Washington to kill Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, divisions among Gulf allies over strikes on Iran, Israeli efforts to embed itself more deeply in U.S. military and defense industries, and a CIA "Red Cell" assessment on the risk of internal conflict in Israel ahead of its Oct. 27 election.

Calls and a notebook

According to the affidavit, investigators found more than 800 calls or attempted calls between the two in 2026, and badge records showed Brinksman leaving the secure facility, sometimes within minutes of accessing classified reports, before contacting her. A notebook with torn-out pages was found on his desk.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the disclosures pose "grave risks to our national security, intelligence sources, ongoing operations, and our officers," while Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department "will continue prosecuting individuals who leak classified information and put our national security at risk."

Brinksman is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

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