Secrecy and Security News
Newer News: July 2018
June 2018
- Reality Winner changes plea from "not guilty" to "guilty", June 26.
- DHS Did Not Investigate Hundreds of Civil Rights Abuse Complaints, Documents Reveal by Joseph Cox, Vice Motherboard, June 19. "DHS's Office of the Inspector General says it has 'limited resources' to investigate hundreds of civil liberties and detainee abuse complaints, but one expert said the figures 'demand a closer look'."
- Justice Dept has not reported to Congress on use of the state secrets privilege since 2011, DoJ reply to FOIA request, June 18. "No records responsive to your request were located."
- Joshua Adam Schulte Charged with the Unauthorized Disclosure of Classified Information and Other Offenses Relating to the Theft of Classified Material from the CIA, Justice Dept news release, June 18. "Joshua Adam Schulte was charged in a 13-count Superseding Indictment in connection with his alleged theft of classified national defense information from the Central Intelligence Agency and the transmission of that material to an organization that purports to publicly disseminate classified, sensitive, and confidential information." (Indictment)
- 15,851 US service members have died since 2006. Here's why by Aaron Mehta, Military Times, June 14. "The numbers come from a new report by the Congressional Research Service, disclosed to the public by the Federation of American Scientists."
- Former Defense Contractor Sentenced for Unlawfully Retaining Classified Information, Justice Dept news release, June 13. "Weldon Marshall, 43, of Sherman, Texas, was sentenced today to 41 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, for unlawfully retaining national defense information. Marshall pleaded guilty on March 5."
- What a Secret Cold War Game of Nuclear Hide-and-Seek Teaches Us About North Korean Verification by Sharon Weinberger, Foreign Policy, June 10. "The question remains relevant: Can on-site inspections ensure another country has given up its nuclear weapons?"
- Trump's targeting of a New York Times journalist, explained by experts by Emily Stewart, Vox, June 9. "The Trump administration took its war with the media to the next level this week when federal authorities seized years of phone records from New York Times reporter Ali Watkins as part of a federal investigation into leaks of classified information."
- Former U.S. Senate Employee Indicted on False Statements Charges, Justice Dept news release, June 7. "A former staff employee of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) has been indicted and arrested on charges of making false statements to special agents of the FBI during the course of an investigation into the unlawful disclosure of classified information" (Indictment).
- Plagued with a massive backlog, Pentagon to take over federal security clearance system by Joshua Eaton, ThinkProgress, June 6. "Officials point to technology as the way forward. But critics are skeptical."
- House appropriators to mark defense bill in closed session this week by Tony Bertuca, Inside Defense, June 4. "The House Appropriations defense subcommittee will convene in closed session Thursday to mark up its version of the fiscal year 2019 defense spending bill, following a trend in legislative secrecy that troubles those who advocate for increased government transparency."
- U.S. expects fallout from Snowden leaks for years to come by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press, June 4. "National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden blew the lid off U.S. government surveillance methods five years ago, but intelligence chiefs complain that revelations from the trove of classified documents he disclosed are still trickling out."
Older News: May 2018