FBI arrests former Army employee for leaking classified information to the media

A former Army employee was arrested and indicted for leaking classified national defense information to a journalist. 

The FBI arrested Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, North Carolina this week, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). She was indicted by a federal grand jury for transmitting classified national defense information to individuals not authorized to receive it. 

What we know:

Williams worked for a Special Military Unit (SMU) and held a Top Secret/Sensative Compartmented Information security clearance between 2010 and 2016. During her time there she received training on proper handling of classified information, where she signed a nondisclosure agreement. According to a DOJ press release, Williams had daily access to a broad range of classified information throughout the course of her duties. 

According to court documents, Williams made contact with a journalist through phone calls and text messages. Between 2022 and 2025, the two had exchanged more than 180 text messages and 10 hours of phone contact. In one of the text messages, the journalist identified themselves as a journalist, and said that they were looking for information about the SMU for an article and book. 

On the day the article and book were published, Williams and the journalist exchanged further messages, according to the DOJ. In one message, Williams stated she was “concerned about the amount of classified information being disclosed,” and that she could face arrest in another message. 

What they’re saying:

FBI Director Kash Patel posted to social media regarding the arrest, stating the arrest sends a message to “any would-be leakers” that the FBI “will not tolerate” leakers of classified information.

“Courtney Williams swore an oath to safeguard our nation’s secrets as an employee supporting a Special Military Unit of the Army, but she allegedly betrayed that oath by sharing classified information with a media outlet and putting our nation, our warfighters, and our allies at risk,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “This indictment should serve as a stark warning to all current and former clearance holders thinking of violating their positions of trust. If you jeopardize our national security by disclosing classified information without authorization, the FBI will hold you accountable for your crimes.”

Reid Davis, FBI special agent in charge in North Carolina, who investigated the case said, “These are serious accusations. Anyone divulging information they vowed to protect to a reporter for publication is reckless, self-serving and damages our nation’s security.”

“Clearance holders accept a solemn obligation to protect the classified information entrusted to them,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “That they do so is critical to the security of our Nation. When clearance holders violate that trust, the National Security Division will act swiftly to hold them accountable.”

RELATED: Trump details daring rescue of downed US airman in Iran

Dig deeper:

The war with Iran has sparked recent controversy over classified information. On Monday, President Donald Trump announced in a news conference his administration intends on locating the leaker of classified information that led to Iranian state media finding out about the downed U.S. F-15e aircraft and the ensuing rescue operation of an Air Force colonel. 

No one was named in the White House news conference Monday.