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The CIA contractor accused of leaking classified intelligence to his lefty journalist girlfriend could face 10 years in prison — all for posts that appeared to have netted just dozens of likes on her Substack.
Ian Brinksman, 42, was accused of exploiting his access to sensitive US intelligence and acquiring reports unrelated to his duties — including sensitive intel on Israel — for the sake of passing them along to his romantic partner to help bolster her career, prosecutors claimed.
While officials did not name the girlfriend, the intel involved and dates match up with at least five reports published on journalist Aida Chávez’s Substack, which cites classified CIA sources.
Officials specifically cite a Nov. 20, 2025, email, where Brinksman told a friend that he was eager to help his girlfriend’s career take off prior to getting access to the classified reports.
“So yeah, I’m still laying low and trying to figure out what’s next (once the dust finally settles.) The lady I’ve been seeing is a journalist and recently went independent. So I’ve been helping her get that off the ground,” Brinksman wrote.
“Her venture focuses on foreign policy. So, I’m getting a surprising amount enrichment/fulfilment from working on that,” he added.
Chávez has since taken her social media accounts private. She previously posed for photos with left-wing darling Hasan Piker and founder of The Young Turks, Cenk Uygur.
Brinksman would go on to hold top secret security clearance while working as an employee of a US government agency and later as a systems developer private contractor working for the same agency, prosecutors said.
Brinksman worked for CIA contractor at the time of his arrest, according to the Justice Department.
In that time, Brinksman allegedly passed on the information to Chávez, who previously worked at The Hill and contributed to The Washington Post before starting her Substack, Capital & Empire.
Chávez, who has not been charged with a crime, has yet to make a statement about the case against Brinksman. She did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
At least five articles published on her website match the intel and dates identified in the FBI affidavit, including a post about internal struggles in Israel.
The story, co-published with Drop Site News on Oct. 5, outlined a classified CIA report warning of potential civil war and the collapse of the Jewish state amid the conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
Despite the gravity of the report and citing of CIA sources, the post itself only garnered 165 likes and 46 reposts on Substack.
Another article included private discussions between Israel and the US regarding Jerusalem’s push for the Trump administration to take out lead Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a story confirmed by major publications.
In all, investigators found more than 800 phone calls between the couple in 2026, with Brinksman sometimes only waiting minutes after accessing the classified info before contacting the girlfriend.
Brinksman has been charged with unlawfully transmitting national defense information, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.