Ex-Army Employee Indicted for Allegedly Leaking Classified Information to Politico Journalist

A former U.S. Army employee at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was indicted on April 8 for allegedly communicating classified National Defense Information (NDI) to a journalist.

Courtney Williams, 40, was accused of repeatedly communicating with journalist and author Seth Harp through phone calls and text messages between January 2022 and August 2025. During that time, prosecutors say she shared classified information that were later published in a book and a Politico Magazine article.

According to the New York Post, Harp directly attributed statements to Williams in his August 2025 exposé on alleged sexual misconduct and drug trafficking within the Army’s elite Delta Force.

The indictment, cited by FBI Special Agent Jocelyn Fox, states that Williams worked for a Special Military Unit from 2010 to 2016 and held a top-secret security clearance.

“Williams had multiple conversations between 2022 and 2025 with the investigative journalist in which she revealed classified National Defense Information,” Fox noted.

Williams was initially hired as a cleared defense contractor in April 2010 before transitioning to a civilian Department of War employee in November 2010. In both roles, she served as an Operational Support Technician within the Mission Support Troop.

Phone records cited in the indictment show that Williams was in contact with the journalist on August 12, 2025—the same day the article and book were published. In total, her number exchanged approximately 180 text messages with the journalist between 2022 and 2025.

After the article was published, Williams wrote to the journalist: “After quickly reading through everything I will just say I wish you had sent me a copy of what was to be published prior to publishing. Other than a few factual errors, I would definitely have been concerned with the amount of classified information being disclosed.”

“I thought things I was telling you so you could have a better general understanding of how the [SMU] was set up or operated would not be published and it feels like an entire TTP was sent out in my name giving them a chance to legally persecute me.”

“I’m taking deep breaths, but have a feeling this is going to be more of a nightmare for my children than not,” she continued.

In a conversation with her mother, Williams said, “I might actually get arrested, and I don’t even get a free copy of the book.”

When her mother asked why she may be arrested, she responded, “For disclosing classified information.”

The indictment further alleges that Williams lawfully possessed documents, writings, photographs, and other information related to national defense, which she had reason to believe could be used to injure the United States or benefit a foreign nation.

“Despite knowing it was unlawful to do so, Williams willfully communicated, delivered, and transmitted and caused to be communicated, delivered, and transmitted the same to an individual not authorized to receive it; to wit: the Journalist,” the indictment concluded.

Harp described Williams as a “courageous whistleblower” and called her arrest “an outrage” in a post on social media.

On social media, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau had arrested a former SOCOM employee “who supported our top-level military warfighters, for allegedly transmitting classified information to a member of the media.”

“Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests. This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way,” he added.