A CIA operative is suspected of passing secrets to his journalist lover for the sake of her career. 42-year-old CIA contractor Ian Brinksman is accused of illegally passing information about the US national defense to his company, which used the materials for sub-stack articles. He faces up to 10 years in prison. According to the US Department of Justice, Brinksman was arrested by the FBI on October 23 after a search in Washington. The charge is a violation of the Espionage Act. In November 2025, he wrote to a friend: "The lady I'm dating is a journalist who recently became independent. I help her relax. Her project is about foreign policy, and I get unexpected satisfaction from this work." From March to October 2026, Brinksman accessed classified intelligence reports unrelated to his duties and passed information to the girl on at least five occasions. During that time, they exchanged more than 800 calls — sometimes he called her minutes after logging in to review documents. The girl is journalist Aida Chavez, who contributes to the Fortune & Empire newsletter in a sub-stack. In September 2026, she wrote: "Over the past year I have published reports based on classified CIA assessments, and I believe the public deserves to know this information." There is a post on her social networks: "I also get leaks." In at least five of Chavez's 2026 articles, the content and dates match the reports Brinksman had access to. The one, published on Oct. 5 with the site News, cited a secret CIA report on the risk of civil war or Israeli collapse due to conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, and also mentioned discussions in which Israel proposed to eliminate senior Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bajer Khalif. The article received only 165 likes. Brinksman has worked for a federal agency since 2020 and moved to a contracting company in 2022, while maintaining his SCI/SCI clearance. His public defender declined to comment. Chavez was not charged and closed her social media.

A CIA operative is suspected of passing secrets to his journalist lover for the sake of her career. 42-year-old CIA contractor Ian Brinksman is accused of illegally passing information about the US national defense to his company, which used the materials for sub-stack articles. He faces up to 10 years in prison. According to the US Department of Justice, Brinksman was arrested by the FBI on October 23 after a search in Washington. The charge is a violation of the Espionage Act. In November 2025, he wrote to a friend: "The lady I'm dating is a journalist who recently became independent. I help her relax. Her project is about foreign policy, and I get unexpected satisfaction from this work." From March to October 2026, Brinksman accessed classified intelligence reports unrelated to his duties and passed information to the girl on at least five occasions. During that time, they exchanged more than 800 calls — sometimes he called her minutes after logging in to review documents. The girl is journalist Aida Chavez, who contributes to the Fortune & Empire newsletter in a sub-stack. In September 2026, she wrote: "Over the past year I have published reports based on classified CIA assessments, and I believe the public deserves to know this information." There is a post on her social networks: "I also get leaks." In at least five of Chavez's 2026 articles, the content and dates match the reports Brinksman had access to. The one, published on Oct. 5 with the site News, cited a secret CIA report on the risk of civil war or Israeli collapse due to conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, and also mentioned discussions in which Israel proposed to eliminate senior Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bajer Khalif. The article received only 165 likes. Brinksman has worked for a federal agency since 2020 and moved to a contracting company in 2022, while maintaining his SCI/SCI clearance. His public defender declined to comment. Chavez was not charged and closed her social media.