A federal judge on Friday issued some tough pretrial restrictions on James Wolfe, the former Senate Intelligence committee staffer accused of lying to the FBI about his contacts with reporters.
The hearing in Baltimore was largely a formality because Mr. Wolfe was arrested in Maryland but indicted in D.C. He did not enter a plea Friday.
District Judge Mark Coulson limited Mr. Wolfe’s travel to only Maryland and D.C. for court appearance and attorney meetings. He also ordered Mr. Wolfe to surrender his passport and check in with pretrial services in Maryland at least once a week by phone.
Judge Coulson barred Mr. Wolfe from applying for a job that requires a security clearance and discussing classified information with other individuals.
Federal prosecutors in Maryland did not seek pretrial detention.
Mr. Wolfe’s case moves to Washington next week. He is required to report on Monday to the FBI’s Washington field office for processing. On Tuesday, he will appear before District Judge Robin Meriweather in Washington.
A public defender represented Mr. Wolfe Friday. It is not clear if he had not retained private counsel or could not afford one.
Judge Coulson submitted a so-called contribution order to assess whether Mr. Wolfe can afford a private attorney. The judge said Mr. Wolfe may have to pay the state for the public defender based on his finances.
Mr. Wolfe faces three counts of lying to the FBI. If convicted, he could be punished with up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge.
Federal prosecutors say Mr. Wolfe, a 29-year veteran of the Senate, lied to the FBI when he denied having personal relationships with reporters. They claim he engaged in a three-year romantic relationship with one reporter.
FBI agents questioned him as part of their probe into the leak of classified information regarding former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
The Justice Department seized communications from one reporter, Ali Watkins of The New York Times, as part of the investigation. Mr. Wolfe is not charged with leaking classified information.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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