US Accuses Government Contractor of Leaking Classified Info to Girlfriend’s Substack

The US Justice Department accused a government contractor on Friday of leaking national defense information to his girlfriend, the publisher of a Substack newsletter.

The FBI arrested Ian Brinksman, 42, on Friday following a search of his Washington home, a Justice Department statement said.

Brinksman had access to top-secret information while working at a US government agency. He later worked as a developer for systems integration for a private contractor working for the same agency, prosecutors said.

According to the sworn affidavit of an FBI agent investigating the case, Brinksman repeatedly accessed classified intelligence reports and then communicated with the journalist.

The affidavit only identifies the journalist as “Individual 1,” but it cites excerpts from articles she published.

A fundraising article reportedly published by Individual 1 in September 2026 stated ‘over the past year [Individual 1 has] published reporting based on classified [relevant U.S. government agency] assessments that I believe the public deserves to know about,’

the affidavit reads.

Over the past year, I’ve published reporting based on classified CIA assessments that I believe the public deserves to know about,

wrote Chávez, whose profile on the site notes that she worked for The Nation and other outlets before she launched the newsletter.

Chávez did not immediately respond to an email message seeking comment.

Investigators allege that on at least five occasions in 2026, Individual 1 published Substack articles containing information that mirrored the classified reports, some at the top secret level. On some of those dates, Chávez published articles that cite classified reports, some of them attributed to the CIA.