Federal contractor Reality Leigh Winner arrested for sending classified NSA intelligence to news outlet

by Kyle Feldscher | Jun 5, 2017

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 against Reality Leigh Winner came about an hour after the publication of a story based on an NSA document detailing Russian attempts to hack American voting systems in 2016.

President Trump has been pushing Justice to go after leakers inside the federal government, which he has identified as "the big story" when it comes to Russia's involvement in the 2016 presidential election. Winner's arrest could signal the federal government is going to aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals who send classified intelligence to news organizations.

Trump and other Republican allies in Washington have made pursuing leakers one of their top priorities, but Winner is the first to face charges for releasing classified intelligence.

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 came 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 cyberattack 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. The affidavit confirms the intelligence document was also dated on May 5.

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.

The government was not aware Winner leaked the document until a news outlet contacted government officials for comment on an upcoming report based on a document they believed to be classified. After receiving and reviewing a copy of the document, the government began an investigation.

"The U.S. Government Agency examined the document shared by the News Outlet and determined the pages of the intelligence reporting appeared to be folded and/or creased, suggesting they had been printed and hand-carried out of a secured space," the affidavit read.

Winner was identified because she was one of six people who printed the document off of their computer. Of those six, she was the only one who had any email contact with a news outlet.

"Winner further acknowledged that she was aware of the contents of the intelligence reporting and that she knew the contents of the reporting could be used to the injury of the United States and to the advantage of a foreign nation," the affidavit stated.

"During that conversation, Winner admitted intentionally identifying and printing the classified intelligence reporting at issue despite not having a ‘need to know,' and with knowledge that the intelligence reporting was classified."

Winner remains under investigation.

Jailed NSA Leaker Reality Winner: ‘Being White is Terrorism’

Her social media profiles show she's a thoroughly brainwashed, far-left #Resistance activist

Chris Menahan | Information Liberation - June 6, 2017

Reality Leigh Winner, the 25-year-old federal contractor who was arrested on Saturday for leaking classified information to the media, is a #Resistance activist who believes “being white is terrorism.”

Winner reportedly confessed to leaking a top secret NSA document on purported Russian hacking to an unnamed news organization, believed to be The Intercept.

Her social media profiles show she’s a thoroughly brainwashed, far-left #Resistance activist who said Donald Trump is an “orange fascist” and “the most dangerous” person in the country.

the most dangerous entry to this country was the orange fascist we let into the white house

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) February 11, 2017

She’s an ethnomasochist who believes “being white is terrorism.”

@kanyewest you should make a shirt that says, "being white is terrorism"

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) February 26, 2017

She was a huge supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.

This is not the week to remain silent #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/YQTcH7rjvt

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) January 15, 2017

She considered herself part of The Resistance™.

@altusda #NoUSDAblackout #RESISTANCE pic.twitter.com/PU5N1vK3xX

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) February 19, 2017

@GOP @tedcruz @marcorubio @KellyannePolls @POTUS #TrumpCake #TrumpFacts #alternativefacts #NotMyPOTUS #ResistTrump pic.twitter.com/pF5FT1qb6b

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) February 11, 2017

@realDonaldTrump I've never seen you look so strong! #largerhands #womenpower pic.twitter.com/6Q4GIk7hYx

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) February 11, 2017

She was radicalized by John Oliver, The Daily Show, Stephen Colbert, Michael Moore and others. She said Leonardo DiCaprio’s propaganda film “Before The Flood” changed her entire outlook on life and said she’s now “#waitingtodie” from climate change and doesn’t want to have kids.

@realDonaldTrump https://t.co/I9xO6JUnuo

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) February 16, 2017

Watched #BeforetheFlood and my outlook on life went from #disappointed about #Election2016 to #waitingtodie from #climatechange 😭

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) November 11, 2016

Watched #BeforetheFlood and my outlook on life went from #disappointed about #Election2016 to #waitingtodie from #climatechange 😭

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) November 11, 2016

Reality Winner wrote communist climate change essays pic.twitter.com/wgcTuas3B0

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 6, 2017

I can't imagine having kids, i worry enough about the impact of #climatechange on my cats

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) November 4, 2016

She replied to the Foreign Minister of Iran saying she’d “stand with” Iran over America if Trump declared war:

There are many Americans protesting US govt aggression towards Iran. If our Tangerine in Chief declares war, we stand with you!

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) February 7, 2017

She also openly sided with Mexico over America:

#Mexico #FTW https://t.co/0iYkDudeRj

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) January 26, 2017

#FuckingWall https://t.co/BtIanetEi6

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) January 26, 2017

She tweeted #TrumpIsACunt, #NotMyWall and #NotMyPresident:

#TrumpIsACunthttps://t.co/IfL4hQ8pvb

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) January 30, 2017

#NotMyWall https://t.co/cjnHgLWAKx

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) January 26, 2017

#notmypresident https://t.co/eGtxpBgpVr

— Sara Winners (@Reezlie) November 11, 2016

She shared similar comments on Facebook, though less openly:





Despite being given access to classified information, she was completely retarded and had terrible OPSEC.

Here's how the NSA identified The Intercept's source. Bad opsec! pic.twitter.com/OD6Pc7VJL5

— Eric Geller (@ericgeller) June 5, 2017

In expanded version of criminal complaint https://t.co/f7GTfAHlfZ DOJ says Intercept asked another contractor about the doc & they told NSA. pic.twitter.com/58Avq987Nr

— Eric Geller (@ericgeller) June 5, 2017

The most remarkable part of this story is how our nation’s standards have collapsed to the point where 25-year-old female social justice warriors are given access to classified information.

It’s also tragic how this beautiful, young girl was radicalized by Hollywood and the entertainment industry into hating herself simply because she was born white.

She’s now likely going to go to prison for a decade and has ruined her life simply to leak uninteresting, classified information she must have thought was proof of some vast Russkie conspiracy which could bring down “Drumpf.”

Hollywood and the fake news media is ruining people’s lives.

How the hell does someone like this get access to classified information. Is the "intelligence" community that hard-up and shorthanded? Are they trolling starbucks and target stores for recruits?

Sweet Jesus, this country needs an enema.

I'm certainly not going to defend this poor snowflake with the unlikely name of Reality Winner, but I'm wondering why this information was classified as "Top Secret," or even classified at all. If the Russians really were trying to hack the election, we should know about it.

But yeah, just how the heck did she get a Top Secret clearance?

Onward and upward,
airforce