CIA contractor leaked secrets to lefty journo girlfriends obscure blog, feds say now he faces 10 years in prison

The CIA contractor accused of leaking classified intelligence to his lefty journalist girlfriend could face 10 years in prison — all for posts that appeared to have netted just dozens of likes on her Substack.Ian Brinksman, 42, was accused of exploiting his access to sensitive US intelligence and acquiring reports unrelated to his duties — including sensitive intel on Israel — for the sake of passing them along to his romantic partner to help bolster her career, prosecutors claimed.While officials did not name the girlfriend, the intel involved and dates match up with at least five reports published on journalist Aida Chávez’s Substack, which cites classified CIA sources.

Officials specifically cite a Nov.20, 2025, email, where Brinksman told a friend that he was eager to help his girlfriend’s career take off prior to getting access to the classified reports.

“So yeah, I’m still laying low and trying to figure out what’s next (once the dust finally settles.) The lady I’ve been seeing is a journalist and recently went independent.So I’ve been helping her get that off the ground,” Brinksman wrote.

“Her venture focuses on foreign policy.So, I’m getting a surprising amount enrichment/fulfilment from working on that,” he added.

Chávez has since taken her social media accounts private.She previously posed for photos with left-wing darling Hasan Piker and founder of The Young Turks, Cenk Uygur.

Brinksman would go on to hold top secret security clearance while working as ​an employee of a US government agency and later as a systems developer private contractor working for the same agency, prosecutors said.Brinksman worked for CIA contractor at the time of his arrest, according to the Justice Department.In that time, Brinksman allegedly passed on the information to Chávez, who previously worked at The Hill and contributed to The Washington Post before starting her Substack, Capital & Empire.Chávez, who has not been charged with a...