President Donald Trump alleged on Friday that federal prosecutors have “caught a leaker” in response to news that a longtime US Senate staffer has been indicted on charges of making false statements to FBI agents as part of an investigation related to the unauthorized disclosure of non-public information.
“It’s very interesting that they caught a leaker … it’s a very important leaker,” the President said while speaking to reporters at the White House. “So, it’s very interesting. I’m getting information on it now, happened last night, it could be a terrific thing.”
The Justice Department announced Thursday evening that James Wolfe, the former security director for the Senate Intelligence Committee, has been accused of lying to FBI agents in December 2017 about his contacts with three reporters.
At this time, Wolfe has not been convicted of wrongdoing in relation to the charges of making false statements and he was not charged with leaking classified information in the federal indictment released by the Justice Department.
On Friday, the President said that he is “a big, big believer in freedom of the press,” but added that he is also “a believer in classified information – has to remain classified.”
The New York Times reported Thursday evening that one of its reporters, Ali Watkins, had been contacted by federal investigators about the inquiry into Wolfe.
According to The Times, the Justice Department notified Watkins in February that her email and phone records — but not the content of her communications — had been seized.
The court papers indicate Watkins and Wolfe had a “personal relationship” dating back to 2014. He “helped her with articles,” the Times said, but “Wolfe was not a source of classified information for Ms. Watkins during their relationship, she said.”
Prosecutors allege Wolfe also had contact with three other journalists, referred to only as Reporter #1, Reporter #3, and Reporter #4 in the indictment.
According to a Justice Department official, their records were not targeted as part of the investigation.
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