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A U.S. Army Special Operations Command veteran has been charged with unlawfully transmitting classified national defense information to a journalist, federal authorities said Wednesday.
Courtney Williams faces charges stemming from allegations that she shared sensitive materials despite signing classified information nondisclosure agreements when she began her role in 2010 and again upon leaving in 2015, according to a criminal complaint.
Kash Patel confirmed the arrest in a post on X, praising investigators and warning against future leaks.
“Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests,” Patel wrote in part. “This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way.”
The complaint outlines extensive communication between Williams and journalist Seth Harp between 2022 and 2024, including at least 10 hours of phone conversations and roughly 180 text messages. Authorities allege Williams organized multiple batches of documents labeled for a reporter, including materials tied to a Special Military Unit.
Investigators said published reporting based on the exchanges included information deemed classified at the SECRET level, including “Tactics, Techniques & Procedures (TTPs)” used in sensitive operations.
“Courtney Williams swore an oath to safeguard our nation’s secrets as an employee supporting a special military unit of the Army, but she allegedly betrayed that oath by sharing classified information with a media outlet and putting our nation, our warfighters, and our allies at risk,” said Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division.
According to the complaint, Williams expressed concern in messages that classified information may have been included in the reporting, writing that it “feels like an entire TTP was sent out in my name.”
Authorities allege Williams acknowledged the risks in private messages, including telling her mother she feared arrest for disclosing classified material. Williams had previously filed a discrimination complaint related to her service and later reached a settlement, according to the complaint.