A former CIA employee suspected of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks was accused Monday of sharing secrets with reporters involving the government’s case against him.
Joshua Schulte, 29, violated a September 2017 protective order barring him from discussing elements of his case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Laroche argued in Manhattan federal court Monday, local media reported.
“It is clear the defendant is discussing the search warrants,” Mr. Laroche said, according to New York Daily News.
Mr. Schulte was arrested last year on federal child porn charges, though it only emerged last week that prosecutors also suspect he leaked top-secret CIA hacking tools published by WikiLeaks in 2017 under the label “Vault 7.”
Prosecutors subsequently reviewed phone records from the detention facility where Mr. Schulte is being held and determined that he talked to reporters about the investigation in violation of the protective order, The New York Post reported Monday.
“The court is willing to enforce the order,” the judge said to Mr. Schulte during Monday’s hearing, The Daily News reported. “Do you understand?”
“I do now,” Mr. Schulte responded.
While an attorney representing Mr. Schulte referenced the WikiLeaks allegations in publicly available court transcripts, the Sept. 18 protective order prohibits the accused from discussing certain aspects.
According to the protective order, “discovery materials that the government intends to provide to the defendant contain materials that, if disseminated to third parties, could, among other things, jeopardize the safety of others and national security, and impede ongoing investigations.”
Mr. Schulte is scheduled to return to court for a status conference on July 10.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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