"Far from leaking classified information, his father said, Mr. Schulte had actually complained about security vulnerabilities at the C.I.A., first to his superiors and later to the agency’s inspector general and to a House Intelligence Committee staff member. Family members shared with The Times evidence of those contacts, which predated the Vault 7 release."
deny, deflect, fabricate. The Agency's strongest suit. but will it work here?
2
The actions of both the government agencies and of reporters and editors at the NYTimes are equally devoid of any ethical weight. There are no real charges and if there were, the proper place to bring them is in a court, not in a newspaper. That the issue is about leaks is no reason that Government gets to use leaks to leak it's target to death instead of charging him.
Also, the defitnition of so called "porn" and especially alleged "child porn" is so amorphous that a kid riding a pny at the circus with a clown 10 feet away holding a balloon ,would probably constitute "child porn" in government prosecutor's eyes-their job is not the fix anything but to destroy and cause harm to targeted individuals.
I say this having first hand knowlege of the abuses of prosecuting lawyers and arresting police. They are among the lowest of the low and whether they are Russkis or Texans makes little difference.
2
The CIA specializes in disinformation and torture. You can't believe a word they say. If they said the sun was rising in the east, I'd go outside and check it out myself.
2
If I read this correctly, the server was accessible to outside parties, and the child porn was encrypted, so anyone could have put it there. There's no proof he was even aware of it.
The scariest aspect of this is that law enforcement agencies or political rivals now have the ability to implant such images on anyone's computer as a substitute for the hard work of actually charging and convicting them for something else. Based on many comments here, the mere posession of such images, even without knowing it, is sufficient for imprisonment without trial in the minds of many.
5
The ability of the security complex to produce heroes can only be accomplished when of their provocateurs stops betraying the pubic and instead reveals their nefarious activities.
Forty-five years ago I would be praising this kid as another Ellsberg (Pentagon Papers) and Wikileaks as another Washington Post. These are different times however, and his old lefty sees a lot more grey shades in the world. This kid is crook, so is Snowden, Assange is a creep, and Wikileaks is kompromat. The CIA, NSA and FBI are abusive organizations, but they are MY abusive organizations, and if you are going to expose wrongdoing, man up and take it to the press and go to trail for it like we did in the old days. I hate this Sneaky-Weaky behavior. It's unsavory.
3
At the agency where I worked, NGA, they would not have named the suspect. He would just have an unfortunate accident or simply drop dead, like that 35 year old hacker Barnaby Jack who died suddenly and mysteriously just before he was to give a talk at a Black Hat security conference, in 2013.
2
This sounds like we only know 1/2 (or less) of the story.
2
Wow, another CIA press release that doesn't add up. Shocker!
Sorry, but this organization has established a long and convoluted history of lying to US citizens. Forgive me for being dismissive of this information, but what about this story makes sense if your organization is supposedly working to protect Americans? An intern with access to sensitive information? Charging him with an unrelated offense? Retroactive discovery of pornographic material?
At least with JFK they perpetuated a magic bullet theory. The CIA can't even be bothered to try to hide their criminality anymore...
2
This wreaks of a set-up. Anyone can put anything on another computer. It's all connected. This kid sounds like a classic scapegoat. Some "boss" said get someone. So sad.
1
The reason they have not charged Mr. Schulte with espionage is because he would be able to defend himself in open court. Any Court imposed discovery process would have made it possible for his defense attorneys to obtain other documents, and make them available for public inspection. In order to circumvent this problem, the proceedings would have to be made 'in-camera'...essentially a secret police-style court proceeding.
In cases like this the person is usually charged with an unrelated charge. Something similar seems to have happened with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, except in his case it was related to an alleged sex crime in Sweden.
4
The earliest reports on Edward Snowden also included various moral turpitude allegations..dirtying their reputations and turning public opinion against them helps isolate these individuals and makes it easier to shuffle the focus..
3
This guy was in the CIA? He was cleared for Top Secret. Isn't this a typical Trumpie who was not vetted. OMG!
1
Per the article
He left the agency in November 2016 and moved to New York to work for Bloomberg L.P. as a software engineer.
1
He should for President of the United States
This man is not the primary corrupt criminal puppet prostitute of Xi Jinping, Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin. That is Donald Trump's job.
6
It is interesting to juxtapose
“Court papers quote messages from Mr. Schulte that suggest he was aware of the encrypted images of children being molested by adults on his computer, though he advised one user, 'Just don’t put anything too illegal on there.'”
and
His father saying “had so many people accessing it he didn’t care what people put on it.”
There is a difference between not knowing and not caring. both seem to indicate not caring while the former seems to indicate knowledge.
3
Seriously?
Why is the CIA doing it's required background checks on new hires- backwards?
Only AFTER the document leaks does the CIA find this genius's illicit digital pedophilic pornography creation.
I don't care if he was 20 years old or 50 years old. He's corrupt. Already.
Is this how the world works now? We pretend that guys who digitally master hidden kiddie porn sites without getting caught are the brain kings of the crop??
Reminds me of why I so fervently dislike the CIA and it's hideously over paid stooges.
7
The guy's clearly an idiot. He got busted for leaks (although he never should have gotten that far) and he ran a server that had child pornography on it. Then, he's told he can be released if he doesn't violate certain conditions--and he violates them. No sympathy here. He's some dumb bro who mistakenly thinks he's smart because he can code.
11
"The guy's clearly an idiot."
And then there are the people who don't know that the 6th Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right to a *speedy* trial:
"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, ..."
6
Strange how may people here do not believe the child porn charge. They can see thru it as being trumped up. Now same group of people hearing about Trump are ready to hang him high.
2
I didn’t know he was into children...? I do know that Miss Teen America contestants are really hot. Oh, wait, they ARE children.
2
Reminds me of the Scott Ritter case. Federal prosecutors hounded that man because he opposed the Iraq war and dared to disagree with the Bush administration. Conveniently they found child porn on his computer.
4
The child porn gambit is popular in 3rd world countries to get rid of pesky opposition... all the while this is known,deep state and media interests push tantalizing leaks intimating Trump / Russia collusion since the day after the election... The media has a responsibility to inform citizens of the truth and not play along with the leaking game.
1
Way more disgusted by the child porn server, tbh.
3
Why would any unit in a highly secret agency take on an intern? Oh I just saw that someone and maybe more, just said the same thing. All the more reason to post this too.
4
I would disagree with his father that child porn is a “thin pretext”. The damage done to the CIA is likely short lived and they will move on with business, damage done to children exposed to sexual abuse will last a lifetime.
Sorry, but a twenty year old is an adult so that’s a weak defense and who on earth would steal from the CIA and not expect to be put through heck if caught.
5
Mr. Joshua A. Schulte, is innocent of all charges until he's tried in a court of law. Yet, the U.S. government and law enforcement are making a case against a "suspect" in the press. If anecdotal evidence has been found to suspect Mr. Shulte's for the C.I.A breach, why not wait for the completion of the investigation to bring about formal charges, if warranted? What's the rush?
Instead, Mr. Shulte's being held on possessing child porn and by the way, 'we think this is the guy who stole C.I.A. documents'. This doesn't pass the smell test... it smells of scapegoating,
Another thing...
We need to have a serious conversation about what our law enforcement and prosecutor can speak on when person is considered a suspect or when someone has been formally charge with a crime. Again, people are innocent until proven guilty. Evidence should be presented in a court of law, not paraded in the press, it's prejudicial.
6
Perhaps King Trump has compromised the government’s case by espousing his love of Wikileaks &/or has ordered HIS justice department to ignore the case.
October 10, 2016 in Wilkes-Barre, PA: "This just came out," Trump said. "WikiLeaks, I love WikiLeaks."
October 12, 2016 in Ocala, FL: "This WikiLeaks stuff is unbelievable," Trump said. "It tells you the inner heart, you gotta read it."
October 13, 2016 in Cincinnati, OH: "It's been amazing what's coming out on WikiLeaks."
October 31, 2016 in Warren, MI: "Another one came in today," Trump said. "This WikiLeaks is like a treasure trove."
November 4, 2016 in Wilmington, OH: "Getting off the plane, they were just announcing new WikiLeaks, and I wanted to stay there, but I didn't want to keep you waiting," said Trump. "Boy, I love reading those WikiLeaks."
9
It's pretty simple; really it is. Charging Schulte with child pornography is much easier to win and less costly to prosecute than litigating leaking CIA documents. Those in prison having anything to do with children and sex have a much rougher go of it in general population than those of other offenses. Many of those incarcerated on such charges are raped and beaten on a regular basis. Forget the leaking charges, put this man away for what he does to our children.
1
Actually, if you read carefully, you’ll notice there is zero evidence that the porn ( if it existed at all) was put there by this guy rather than one or more of the large number of users of his server.
1
As a pretext for holding Mr. Schulte, the government states he used a pseudonym to post a series of essays critical of the criminal justice system. Give me a break. Can anyone blame him? The government says he's suspected of distributing national defense information, the so called “Vault Seven” leak. Furthermore, “agents told the court they had retrieved “N.S.A. and C.I.A. paperwork” in addition to a computer, tablet, phone and other electronics. Is there such a concept as being innocent until being proved guilty? I guess not. The government now claims they found 10,000 illicit porn images on a server he created in 2009. Wait a minute. What does porn have to do with distributing national defense info? And, who else had or has access to the server? From what I understand, Mr. Schulte is being held because the government found an old server that Mr. Schulte setup. One that hundreds of people had access to. We are living under a quasi police state that oozes the poison of big brother. He is being held on a contrived charge and his reputation in taters, his freedoms guaranteed by our constitution have been taken away. The man should be charged or released.
8
Regardless of what you think of his case, his essays on criminal justice reform are well worth a read.
5
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY Downloaded on a computer is low lying fruit--easy to harvest. And to get convictions. Far more difficult and dangerous are the producers and purveyors of chlid pornography, which is perhaps the most destructive of the awful practices of human trafficking.
1
Is it "irony" or is it "hypocrisy" when a C.I.A. investigation into leaks itself leaks the name of a suspected leaker?
3
The FBI and the Justice department are out of control and corrupt. Both the President and the Congressional head of the oversight committee have publicly stated this. Fake breach, fake charges.
I just looked at his criticism of the legal system. His site is called "Who is John Galt?" PLEASE throw the book at him. Anyone who loves Ayn Rand deserves prison.
9
They didn't have any evidence to charge him, so they used the "child pornography" accusation. They had their sights set on him and were going to get him one way or another.
5
No mystery as to what the source of the name of this guy is, even though CIA apparently does not yet have enough to proceed legally against him. Unfortunately for his accusers, he legally he is presumed innocent of whatever charge that has been brought. It's gratuitous for the NYT to publicize the child pornography charge, and this never would be newsworthy except because he's a suspect in the data breach. I hope this article will at least help get him a good defense lawyer.
2
All you need to do to ruin someone's credibility is whisper "child porn" and they're done. In this case he built a server in college and allowed other people to use the server and it appears someone stored their child porn on it 9 years ago so he is being charged as if he was responsible for the porn. Saying "don't put anything too incriminating" on the server doesn't mean he knew they were putting porn on there. In light of the cases where there is evidence the FBI/CIA/NSA accessed the home computers of journalists (see Attkisson v. Holder) it wouldn't surprise me if the CIA planted the porn. We are living in a very scary time where it's difficult to know what or who to believe, but I certainly wouldn't take the CIA's word as gospel here.
7
How far the once mighty have fallen.
WikiLeaks was exposed as a phony Progressive and teaparty government conspiracy theorist tool with the Mueller investigation, continuing its downward spiral with Assange's treasonous motives (he hated Hillary Clinton, so Russian collusion), and finally exposing our nation to further damage by publishing CIA secure/secret documents.
Traitors are not welcome here.
5
His real crime was leaving. He didn't realize when he took that internship as an undergrad that he was joining the mob.
Once you join 'the family' they don't like it if you try to leave. It hurts their feelings.
I'm sure he made a lot of enemies, and committed career suicide, by calling attention to the CIA's own vulnerabilities. (again, he hurt their feelings doing that)
To me, it's equally likely that his ex-boss (or boss's boss) leaked the documents knowing that 'a disgruntled ex-employee' would get fingered for it.
3
I can't believe NYT readers are defending a child pornographer. There is nothing lower on this earth.
7
He's not a pornographer. No more than Comcast would be if one of it's servers held child pornography. It's a trumped up charge, that shows the government doesn't have enough information to charge him.
3
Except that he wasn’t a child pornographer.
4
It's important to protect the turf Karen, lest you be next. That's why people rush to the aid of those with circumstances they relate to.
If he was aware of it and did nothing he is at least an accessory to child pornography as is someone who is aware of a crime and hides it. No different than if Comcast was aware of child pornography and did nothing to delete or stop it from being posted.
1
If he is guilty, I hope he spends the rest of his life behind bars. Actions have consequences.
4
Another reason not to trust people who spend their lives writing code, or those who graduate from that and run technology companies.
3
The intelligence community seems to be more concerned about its image rather than its credibility, perception over substance.
So the CIA is hacking our phones (again) that means they have a court order - right!? I didn’t think so.
The CIA is caught with their pants down (again) and now they are charging Joshua with child pornography. Just look who is doing the indecent and immoral deed now!
2
Its surprising how many people are glossing over the fact that they have photos of this guy assaulting his passed out female roommate....
1
A “ fact” mentioned nowhere in this article...
Loathe someone and want to destroy their career or their life? Plant kiddie porn on their computer, and make sure someone in authority discovers the collection.
The government is indulging in tactics so trite and overused they've become memes.
Maybe Joshua Schulte did disclose classified information; maybe he didn't. But when the government announced that "child pornography" was found on his computer I became deeply suspicious of the charges. If this is the best the CIA can come up with, perhaps they deserve having their classified documents exposed.
4
Schulte stole sensitive CIA documents and distributed them in a public fashion. He is a criminal. What else is there to consider? Child porn? Wasn’t Snowden enough? How is it possible for our security organizations are so careless?
2
What do you know anyway? So far two of the largest breaches in the FBI and CIA were top officials. Remember Ames and Hansen? I wonder how many low level workers were hounded and threatened as suspects when it was actually the higher ups?
3
I read another article in the New York Times a few months ago that reported most of our federal agencies were using software made by a Russian company. The two agencies that Declined the Russian software, were infected nonetheless through emails sent among the agencies. It is said we all tend to hire in our own image. Who are the clowns who decide to hire these people?
1
They don’t seem to have the evidence that he actually did it.
2
Looks to me that they do not have the evidence to charge him with the leak and used the child porn charge to pressure him into talking or pleading a deal.
1
No one should be the least bit surprised that government and it's agencies is surveilling everyone, using every web capable device, including smart tv's, smart appliances, 24/7/365, license plate readers, ezpass, auto onstar computers, stingrays, drtboxes, radio frequency wave detection to capture keyboard taps, surveillance satellites which can count the hairs on one's head, and pick up vibrations on window glass from any and all conversations within building.
There are no areas on the planet which can escape surveillance, and guess what, as nearly every engineer knows, sound waves emanating from deep with the earth can be detected, captured, and recorded.
It's George Orwells vision fully brought to life, way beyond his wildest imaginings.
4
Will somebody please defend Wikileaks. They are telling us what the Chinese and Russians are capable of getting from us without disclosing it. They are also forcing us to improve security.
1
If he is guilty of the leak, then the FBI should charge him and put him in jail for as long as the law allows.
At this point, if you believe the DOJ, I’ve got a bridge to sell you! Next they’ll charge him with distributing chemical weapons! Can’t get their story straight since March 2017? Governmental “efficiency” at its best! And, for God’s sake; let’s NOT pay ANY attention to the fact that the NSA wants, can, and will spy on citizens through their appliances. Nothing like feeling secure at home, huh? I guess even “hackers” have trouble stomaching what the NSA wants them to do. BTW, America has no enemies it has not created! So what, exactly, are we supposed to be paying attention to in this story? Can anyone tell me?!! Didn’t think so. Oh, the intelligence services are 0-for-infinity in terms doing the ‘right’ thing. Just sayin’
3
She should be confirmed. She is the choice of the elected President of the United States, long an advocate of torture and a foe of human civilization..,
1
A sign of the times of how easy a citizen can do harm and how easy those in power can feel entitlement to be nefarious for the greater good. There’s no black and white solution. Meanwhile, young hackers have to be presumed as a double edged sword.
2
The obvious lesson out of this is that you should never ever work for the Federal Government.
This is becoming more scary than 1984. Anything can be planted and these charges don't pass the smell test.
This is a totalitarian government out of control.
2
Well, the man has been arrested for a while, and yet there’s no evidence he leaked anything. Looks like a scapegoat to me.
1
If he really is guilty, I hope they throw the book at him. By exclusively targeting ‘establishment’ Western governments, Wikileaks has allied itself with tyrants, oligarchs, human rights abusers, fascist regimes, and the global business elite. I mean, it’s so terrible that I‘m rooting for the CIA’s hacking division. Self-righteous crusaders like Snowden, Greenwald, and (possibly) Schulte are useful idiots. At this point, regardless of their intentions, I feel no sympathy for them when they break the law.
Oh, BTW, this: “They say the child pornography charges, based on his actions nine years ago when he was 20, are a thin pretext for keeping him incarcerated.” That’s a shockingly callous, self-serving argument. Child pornography isn’t a joke. The victims are real. They’re victimized again and again, each and every time someone watches. And it’s not like there’s some special appreciation for the gravity of the crime that develops with age; by 20, you’ve already had it drilled in your head. Even if we give him the benefit of the doubt (i.e., that he didn’t consume it himself), he was clearly aware that child pornographers could use his server to further their crimes. (“Nothing too illegal”...? Seriously?)
It’s hard for me to feel that sorry for the guy. Nevertheless, it’s blatantly unconstitutional that defendants can go months or even years before going to trial. I have no idea why/how this practice continues/is so pervasive.
5
Mr. Schulte left the employment of the CIA to go work for a contractor which no doubt billed all his time to the CIA or US Government at a rate of three times his US Gov't salary. If what he did is true, he is a crook but this is the current US Government that Mr. Trump wants to further gut with benefit cuts while paying contractors obscene amounts to do the work. The system is broke.
2
Does this story really say he was an INTERN when he had access to these files? The breach itself is by far the most disturbing aspect of this story. No intern or contractor should ever have access resembling that of a traditional fully-vetted CIA employee. (Note that Snowden was also a contractor.)
In terms of the man himself, I see no defense for his actions. If he intended to be a whistleblower regarding data security, there are far better (and benign) ways to demonstrate vulnerabilities than a leak of highly classified files to WikiLeaks. I see little comparison to the motivations or content of the Snowden or Chelsea Manning leaks, which had some credible, substantive public interest value. This guy looks like a millennial tech bro cliche — cowboy libertarian “disruptor” who vastly overestimates his intelligence, expertise, insight and powers of ethical judgement. (I say this as a millennial woman with experience in the industry.) The child porn possession charges may seem unfair, but they don’t seem to be unsubstantiated under existing federal laws, which require little more than knowledge. Yes, the prosecution strategy seems politically motivated, but I can’t muster any sympathy for a privileged white guy indisputably guilty of some serious crime. Poor people routinely sit in jail for much longer on nothing more than unpaid fines or trivial misdemeanors. If you want to care about malicious prosecution or mass incarceration, direct your outrage elsewhere.
56
It says he was an intern at the NSA, but he worked for the CIA. It sounds like he leaked them when he was an employee.
1
First off possession of child porn is a felony and has absolutely nothing to do with his "privileged white guy" status as you say. Second, government personnel typically function as program managers, and a lot of the grunt work gets executed by a contractor work force Being a contractor or civilian is hardly a barometer of determining one's loyalty. In fact many contractors were government employees at one time or another, and visa versa. Third interns need access to classified information, otherwise they literally cannot do their jobs at all. Does the CIA need better controls and oversight of the internal threat? Absolutely. This guys raging angry bro profile most certainly should have raised some red flags with his superiors.
6
Whoever is brave enough to expose corrupt US government invading our private lives deserves a medal. You see how this kind of invasion can destroy people's lives by exposing a secret sex life. In this case, a crime, in most cases, not. The CIA is dangerous, illegal and out of control. When they attack third world people we look the other way. Now they are attacking US citizens here. Don't look away.
18
I'm all for exposing the "corrupt US government invading (of) our private lives." However, there are some secrets that should remain secret, Revealing secrets that endanger people's lives or mess up espionage activities that protect our national well-being cannot be permitted and/or go unpunished Undercover agents are important to our nation's security and they deserve our support and good will.
9
In the USA, a photograph of a topless seventeen-year-old is now regarded as child porn under current US federal law. Even if it's a selfie. Even if she's married and her husband took it. In fact, she can be prosecuted for being in possession of child porn, if she had her own topless photo on her cellphone, or for transmitting child porn if she sends it to her husband.
Video your young children playing naked in their bath? You can be prosecuted for making child porn.
41
1. False. Here’s the federal statute: https://codes.findlaw.com/us/title-18-crimes-and-criminal-procedure/18-u... Each state may expand on this definition
2. There were 10,000 images.
Theorizing that the CIA planted child pornography is one thing. Ignorance of what constitutes child pornography then excusing it is another.
12
"Court papers quote messages from Mr. Schulte that suggest he was aware of the encrypted images of children being molested by adults on his computer"
8
Why does everything have to be photographed?
It would never have occurred to me to take such photos in the first place.
5
What kind of vetting process do these agencies use? Once employees / contractors are hired, shouldn't there be periodic checks for irregularities?
18
Speaking as a former Data Center Mgrr., I say, "Absolutelly!" It's not enough check when the person is hired and a person'reliability, integrity can change over time.
2
The vetting process is antiquated. There is talk now of updating methods so that checks are done on a more or less continual basis.
1
Whenever the government wants a defendant held without of bail, they often find a way bring child pornography charges. Here Schulte's family is correct, "the child pornography charges, based on his actions nine years ago when he was 20, are a thin pretext for keeping him incarcerated." As a former prosecutor who couldn't stomach strong-arm tactics and subterfuge by many members of law enforcement and so became a civil and criminal rights attorney, I'm all too familiar with defendants being charged with something other than what they're truly accused of. Carefully read how this played out. For those saying Schulte is a child pornographer, which I'll be the first to say is a most heinous crime, you may want to think again. "Instead of charging Mr. Schulte in the breach...prosecutors charged him...with possessing child pornography, saying agents had found 10,000 illicit images on a server he created as a business in 2009." It gets more problematic. "Court papers quote messages from Mr. Schulte" which "suggest" that "he was aware" that "encrypted images" of child pornography were on the server he ran. Any time prosecutors use the word "suggest" as opposed to "show" alarms go off. Since these images were not his and "encrypted," did he unencrypt them? If "Just don't put anything too illegal on there" is all they have, it isn't enough. Having said this, do I think Schulte in likely guilty? Yes, but he should have been charged with the crimes for which he was actually arrested.
98
Charging him this way may be a tactic to encourage him to rat out any other people that he has knowledge of in any other crimes involving child porn or espionage.
3
OK this guy hosted a server that he knew was being used to hold thousands of pornographic images of children being abused! This is not a case of a misguided kid texting a few images of his nether regions to girls. Your inclination to believe in the innocence of this man is really quite amazing and you are clearly biased.
5
The caveats you raise are substantial, yet there's another, or enhanced perspective. To whatever degree the porn charges are specious perhaps they aren't bringing the top count in fear it would necessarily reveal more clandestine operations, or perhaps heinous abuses. The CIA's hands are not just dirty, they're filthy, but Schulte is no altar boy. That said, spycraft and it's tools are in a grey area universally, it's very difficult to say what crosses a line and what doesn't, and that line may be determined situationally case by case. Schulte likely knows a lot more that they don't want publicized so I suspect some kind of deal will be worked out after this initial attempt at intimidation proves ineffective. Or maybe he'll cave. It's a matter of degree, how much (further) embarrassment or exposure the agency can tolerate.
1
Another good reason not to trust the deep state. Does anyone really think because Mr. Schulte was an official he could be trusted. We must stop the kneejerk respect of long term governmemt employes of the CIA.
7
It's only somewhat comforting to know most commenters here don't buy the obviously "trumped up" child porn charge—a classic tactic from the likes of any secretly despotic state. And, that's why it's only somewhat comforting. The "commenters" don't really matter anymore.
26
Indeed. If he actually did have and distribute such images (especially if they're real photos and derivatives thereof that hurt real kids in the process, and not merely sick cartoons) then he's earned the long prison time for them; but (1) the CIA needs to show their evidence in trial or immediately quit smearing Schulte and using the child porn as a SQUIRREL!, and (2) he's a heroic whistleblower if he indeed exposed "software exploits designed to take over iPhones and turn smart television sets into surveillance devices", and it then ought to be the CIA who face (further) reckoning.
The Agency is hardly on solid moral ground what with Torture Queen Haspel soon to be installed on her old buddies' throne.
1
Far more likely is that the system is sending a warning to would be or other leakers that this is what happens. Your a child sex offender and ruined for life. These same tools this guy allegedly exposed are the ones used to plant these illegal files.
18
So basically the CIA is trying to smear him with a probably false child pornography charge (i.e. holding him accountable for what someone else put on a server he created years ago without his knowledge) in order to cut off public support for his actions?
Yeah, that's totalitarianism.
50
I'm reading now on Huffington Post that they're claiming they have cellphone pictures that directly identify him molesting a woman passed out in a bathroom, and have spoken with the woman and corroborated his identity.
While I am not inclined to give the FBI the benefit of the doubt in a case like this, if that claim is true then it lends credence to the idea that he is guilty of the child pornography charge.
3
Obviously, major failure in granting THIS guy any type of security clearance.
Must be Obama and Clinton's fault. Right ???? Sad.
11
Of all things, "child porn". Incredible.... I guess it could be legit. But I imagine there are more than a few members of our intelligence "communities" that would love to find Edward Snowden or Julian Assange involved in such things.
5
Some computer tech that is involved in espionage getting caught for child porn on a computer? No way. No one is that stupid. The charge if connected to an actual child is 75 yrs per pic. He knows computers and security. I don't believe it. I remember many cases that people came up against these intelligence agencies and they came out with child porn charges. Someone that is a hacker knows he can be hacked.
Thank God, it's not a Muslim or an immigrant engineer!
23
Yes, a real red-blooded American from the great state of Texas!
3
Whether true or not, the child pornography charges will make him a target, particularly in a high-security federal prison. This is a powerful bargaining chip.
16
They should charge him or let him go in the hacking/leaking department but I do find it disturbing that both the accused and his family seem to think child pornography isn’t that big of a deal. If you have a server and make money renting out space on it you need to make sure what’s on there is legal.
9
By that logic, telecomm companies should be held criminally liable when illegal material transits their lines. Is that your intent?
2
So if you own a storage facility and somebody rents a unit to store stolen goods you should be charged with possession of stolen property? What about giant server farms that inadvertently host terrorist websites? Should their owners be charged with aiding and abetting a crime? Ridiculous.
If they can prove he put the images there or accessed the images or helped disseminate them, those are all crimes. If they believe he leaked the hacking documents, charge him and prove the case. If he indeed did that, he deserves lifetime imprisonment.
Otherwise, this a shameful and unlawful imprisonment.
1
Rayme, how can someone make sure what is on servers they set up is entirely legal?
Amazon offers a cloud service on its servers. Microsoft Outlook stores loads of mail. Think everything on there is legal?
Of course it isn’t, and let’s not pretend that they check. And if they did check, I would be offended by the invasion of privacy.
But naturally the rules are different for a 19 year old kid...
2
Exposing a corrupt govt. is the shortest path to prison.
41
If as charged the guy was into child pornography, the first question is what flaw in CIA security led the Agency to hire him?
57
I would bet they did a full investigation of the dude once they suspected him of the leak - finding that server in the process. They charged him with child porn because they did not want to bring their case for espionage in open court either because, as a case it was flimsy, or because they did not want to reveal methods or sources, or for some other reason.
In any case, this leak was a bad one. Its not a Snowden case (ie. release to reputable media outlets of documents not code) - its manning type case (ie. a fundamental attack on our country made by a misguided fool who cares not what he does).
10
I'm sorry, are you referring to Manning's exposing of the fact that the US Army covered up the massacre of reporters in a Bagdad street by a US helicopter gunship as "a fundamental attack on our country by a misguided fool"?
I do not share your opinion.
40
No, I'm sorry that you don't understand Manning had no idea what information was being released. Both Snowden and Manning were less about what the information contained than they were about "Lookatme! Lookatme!" ego trips.
On the bright side, the FBI was able to raid Schulte's residence within one week of publication. That means intelligence was able to put together a short list of suspects and execute a warrant and a raid within that time. That's efficient. The bad news: That's scary.
14
The simplest answer is the feds don't want what he knew and how he did it to be public in a trial.
37
The facts about the current charges against Mr. Schultz are accurate. But the background reporting about the scope of intelligence losses is largely inaccurate.
The NYT should refrain from such reporting from self-interested sources trained in deception, and await actual legal findings and charges, if they occur.
13
Clever, very clever. To discredit a person, any person, all you have to do in the USA in 2018 is to accuse him of a) beating up his girlfriend, b) groping, c) being a child molester d) having images of children e) transmitting images of children.
The great advantage of such a strategy is you inflame both the right and the so-called left at the same time. At best, nobody will speak out on behalf of the accused for fear of being seen as an apologist for the alleged conduct.
But what's even more likely is that both the so-called left and the right will scream that the accused person is guilty, long before they've actually had their day in court before an unbiased jury of their peers.
63
I think having child pornography is a very clear thing. It is in no way acceptable, and anyone proven to be in ownership or be promoting it; should absolutely be punished harshly.
Laws are enacted to protect society. Child pornography is an obvious and very clear danger to society. Guilty verdicts deserve extraordinary severe sentences.
5
You're assuming that he downloaded the pictures or was aware of their existence. That is not at all established.
The creater of a server is in no way capable of monitoring all of its content. While it is certainly possible for a genuine child pornographer to create a server to store child porn (in which case by all means go after him for it), it is also possible for a server to contain thousands, even millions of files without its creator having the slightest idea what is in it- especially if he created it as favor to someone else and then forgot about it years ago.
All the DA has established so far is that (1) he created the server years ago, (2) there was child porn on it, and (3) he told somone to not put "anything too illegal on it"- which translates into vernacular as "do NOT put anything illegal on it".
That is not enough. The DA would have to show he knew or reasonably should have known that the child porn was there. Otherwise, anyone could plant anything on a server to ruin the life of the guy who created the server.
There are ways to prove or disprove that, but such evidence has not been provided yet.
40
Again, I am being told there is additional evidence in the form of cellphone images of him molesting an unconscious woman in a bathroom, which the woman herself has apparently confirmed to be him.
This would, unfortunately, lend credence to the child pornography charges. But so far I only have the FBI's word to go on. I am skeptical because the FBI's word has been demonstrably shown to be false in the past. But there may be a case here.
1
Did you actually read the article? "Court papers quote messages from Mr. Schulte that suggest he was aware of the encrypted images of children being molested by adults on his computer," Indefensible and heinous.
1
Mr. Schulte I have an attorney to recommend to you. He is familiar with clients into pornography, sexual abuse and leaking secrets. He can be had on a retainer and will make playoffs on your behalf to squelch any legal actions against you or any exposure. You can carry on as if nothing happened and lie as much as you like at your discretion. He is even in the DC area frequently.
23
Too bad he didn't waterboard anyone. he would have gotten a promotion.
79
Now, now, Paulie, before the promotion, he would have to promise to not do it again.
2
Could be a CIA dirty trick to get even with Shulte, or it could be real and you know, people talk in prison and say lots of things over the years that could be used against them, or maybe the feds are monitoring his thoughts. OOOOOOHHHH!
5
About 10 years ago my son bought a used computer. When we started working with it we found kiddie porn, we cleaned it up, then we found more. I'm not that computer savvy, but as a teacher, this scared me. We were never sure we had it all gone so I baked it at 400 degrees, threw in in the snow and then hacked it up with an axe. Still, I suppose that if the Fed had wanted something on me, I could have been toast. If this man is guilty, fine; but I agree, so far, this doesn't pass the smell test.
55
Why didn’t you call the police?
15
I assume because he did not want to be arrested for carrying child pornography? It is so much easier to trust police officers when you have not personally witnessed police misconduct.
11
Funny.
Treason is treason. He needs to go to jail.
6
There is no indication that this man is guilty of anything, other than posessing child pornography. THAT is a disgusting crime, however, it is NOT treason.
6
So is torturing prisoners. No doubt our new CIA chief will get right onto prosecuting.... herself.... for the crimes she and her former superiors committed and covered up?....
12
To understand CIA security I recommend Killer Spy by Peter Maas. You'll never look at the CIA the same way and it goes a long way to explaining this.
6
Obviously a fabrication to distract from Mr. Mueller's investigation. Too convenient. This guy has been framed by trump.
10
America's intelligence agencies were compromised decades ago by their politicization. Instead of exercising their mandate to collect and analyze information for decision-making by our elected officials, they either developed their own agenda -- as in the case of Hoover's F.B.I. -- or tailored their analyses to fit the hopes and expectations of whoever was President.
To make matters worse, the C.I.A. at the behest of Presidents became a major operational agency, not merely engaging in what were properly military functions but taking its focus off its primary responsibility, the gathering and analysis of information.
Reading intelligence files (courtesy of the F.O.I.A.) before 9/11, I thought them a cross between funny and stupid. On one hand the files showed the self-serving, bloated bureaucracy President Reagan warned about, (though he was referring to other agencies of the government.) On the other hand they did not see what was in front of their eyes, because they had predetermined pictures that they forced information into. After 9/11 it was clear this was significantly of greater consequence than merely being funny or stupid.
Large bureaucracies are like battleships, capable of projecting great power, but relatively slow to turn to meet new threats. What recent events have demonstrated and this article references is that America needs more nimble intelligence agencies, ones less inclined toward maintenance of their current m.o. and more toward current exigencies.
18
Isn’t it interesting that whenever the government wants to take down someone without evidence, a treasure trove of child porn magically appears on his computer?
34
Don't be so quick to judge the FBI. They have found evidence on his phone of him molesting his passed out roomate, which makes the chages of child porn more credible. Check out HuffPost.
2
Or maybe there are a lot more of these type of guys into child porn that we realize? I wouldn't be surprised if they were attracted to jobs like this because they like to be the ones controlling everyone else.
1
"Far from leaking classified information, his father said, Mr. Schulte had actually complained about security vulnerabilities at the C.I.A., first to his superiors and later to the agency’s inspector general and to a House Intelligence Committee staff member. Family members shared with The Times evidence of those contacts, which predated the Vault 7 release."
Why did The Times not share this evidence with it's readers? I might understand the need not to share the names of Mr. Schulte's immediate superiors but why not the names of the Inspector General and House Intelligence Committee staff member?
Has there been any follow up to verify this evidence of these contacts?
Has anyone at The Times interviewed the Inspector General and House Intelligence Committee staff member, and what actions were taken to address the concerns of Mr. Schulte?
(Apparently nothing as the leaks happened but I'd still like some answers.)
Warning his superiors about security vulnerabilities and further taking those concerns to the Inspector General and the House Intelligence Committee does not balance with the actions of traitors such as those of Edward Snowden or Bradley Manning.
If Mr. Schulte willingly allowed the storage of child pornography on his server, even if it was nine years ago, then he should be in jail.
My concern is what was done with these warnings of security vulnerabilities prior to the Vault 7 leaks. Perhaps Mr. Schulte is not the only one who should be in jail.
12
So, this hack, this leak to WikiLeaks, occurred on the newly confirmed Secretary of State's watch when he was the Director of the CIA, and where he was also responsible for investigating the theft of Clinton's emails, Russian interference in the election, and taking measures to thwart Russia's attempts to sabotage US elections in the future. And now, at State, those responsibilities continue in one form or the other. Informed speculation has it that Pompeo and the rest of the Trump administration's national security apparatus sat on their hands with respect to the Russian conspiracy to defraud American voters, tamper with voter registration data, etc., because of their belief that unbridled Russian interference would ultimately work to Trump's benefit in the future.
13
Who is responsible for reining in the CIA? Sharyl Attkisson, a former CBS reporter, has evidence that her computer was hacked (while in her bedroom, no less) and has sued Justice, which is, no surprise, stonewalling. If Trump attempts to rein them in, he's immediately attacked and they are automatically defended. That just gives them greater freedom and is contributing to the problem.
5
The biggest problem when it comes to government hacking, leaking and handing over documents to Wikileaks is the fact that there are simply too many people employed at NSA, CIA and Homeland security that have zero business seeing these documents.
It seems like everyone and their teenager has top secret clearance. Hackers, by trade, are criminals. They break into systems. They like chaos. That’s why they hack.
No one should have access to these documents unless they are hired by the US government, heavily vetted and monitored for activity.
7
As a programmer for the last 40 years, I can tell you hackers do not do anything because "they like chaos." If you like chaos, you cannot be a programmer. Programming is all about controlling, and eliminating, chaos.
Look at the motives YOU would have for any of your actions. Same for them.
7
The CIA seems to have an obsession with pornography. In the past they sais that they found pornographic material in the offices of Salvador Allende (Chile), Manuel Noriega (Panama). So if you leaked papers from the CIA stay away of pornography.
15
IDK about that but it hit me as a red light when I read it and reminded me of the FBI take down of Steven Hatfill. Then there is the fact that he's supposed to be so clever there is no evidence of his having committed the crimes he is accused of but he's stupid enough to leave child porn on a server he owns. It's possible but somehow the recent record (17 years and counting) of dishonesty from the NSA and CIA tells me this is not something I should be taking their word on.
17
Maybe just stay away from child pornography anyway.
11
That's how they punish you for life. Plant some disgusting porn on your computer and your life is ruined. Worse than jail.
16
Coincidence that the CIA lucked into someone chargeable with an unrelated crime? So far, does not pass the smell test.
42
I don't understand how he passed a background check for a security clearance when he was hired by C.I.A. if he had the child pornography association with the site he created in 2009. Why didn't it surface then?
144
I believe the article says he was working at NSA previously. IDK if it was immediately before or not.
NSA employment would also require a security clearance, most likely renewed every year at each agency.
What an easy to answer question; the CIA are torturers, murderers and thieves so Shulte fit the qualifications as a beginner.
5
I would guess the CIA didn't have enough evidence so they planted the porn on his computer to make everyone hate him instead of sympathise with him.
32
He was released on the condition that he stay off the internet and computers. He's in jail again because he violated those rules. I wonder if they gave him enough rope for a noose and he used it? They had to have been monitoring everything that all of his relatives did online looking for evidence that he went online. He may have given them some good leads to follow when he did.
7
You do realize that technically they could get him for using a smarphone to access a map?
6
Draining the swamp, one deep-stater at a time.
3
This exact comment, word-for-word, was posted on the WaPo thread about this story, under a different username. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the only actual human being on this thing.
17
If he's a contractor perhaps the congress and the intelligence community will finally understand that contracting intelligence operatives is not a good idea.
I don't know about you, but I want a government employee that has continuous oversight, wants to be in the intel community as a career, is a patriot and has a confirmable history with background checks conducted by people with the same attributes. It seems when we started outsourcing background checks this situation became more and more frequent.
Of course we'll have to wait for a different congress who's willing to actually do something other than obstruct and politicize issues. A strong civil service does involve a decent salary, benefits and continued education and that would require taxes to be paid by those that can most afford and benefit from these services. Not the reverse like we now have.
My father, as WWII vet with a TS clearance is rolling over in his grave.
And STOP putting our most sensitive material and secrets where they can be hacked !!!!!
38
I used Tor to swim the undernet or darknet back then. Just out of curiosity. Unfortunately, child porn was rampant, which is why I stopped. Alot of times you didn't know what you were downloading. It was just the wild west. People put up all kinds of stuff. The general rule was "who are you to judge someone else."
14
Schulte's family lamenting their boy's incarceration for only child porn is disgusting to the max. Anyone who traffics in child porn should be removed from society. If he is guilty on child porn charges, I would believe he would stoop to anything, so put me on his jury.
22
How about "they are lamenting because he is being falsely accused"?
6
Mess with the Spooks and you'll get busted for Tax Evasion, Kiddie Porn or Drugs in 10 seconds flat.
There's an 80% chance this evidence was manufactured because they knew he did it by deduction but didn't have enough evidence to prosecute.
17
That is the reason the founders came up with the principle of Innocent until proven guilty. You are saying those assigned to protect us are violating the very principles they are meant to be protecting.
You can believe what you like, but to act on something you cannot justify rationally is to be the very antithesis of an American.
1
And your 80% number is based on ...???
1
Michael:
"Mess with the Spooks and you'll get busted for Tax Evasion, Kiddie Porn or Drugs in 10 seconds flat."
******
"Let me tell you: You take on the intelligence community — they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you"
-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
14
Should anyone believe the CIA and their covert operations based on a 'National Security' of concerns, so they can continue operations? How can we be expected too?
One year later and no charges on this breech? Have they tortured him? brainwashed him? Who knows...the shadow knows ehh...? Mistrust is created...
13
"Released" but found to have violated his conditions of release. Meanwhile thousands upon thousands of brown and black bodies are languishing in prison for.....possession of small amounts of marijuana- including servicing Life without parole in a Louisiana prison: Justice?
20
We hear the message loud and clear...
1
Child porn and treason. I don't mind if he stays in there the rest of his life...any effort to conceal what he did would be plenty of intent and responsibility, it shouldn't be any more than that, and he can just sit there. He can have his speedy trial and then just go to general population where his neighbors will carry out a stiffer sentence for doing child porn...and he will prefer it to protected solitary.
7
What happened to innocent until proven guilty?
13
how many people in america are homeless because of this?
1
none
2
Here’s the thing, Leakers. If you have anything substantive to say you can send it to Wikileaks. But you will get busted. The CIA could easily encrypt incriminating kinky images on your hard drive when they hire you. Do I sound paranoid? Well look at the Vault 7 leaks. Just look at what they actually DO. Or do you believe that a young man with Mr. Schulte’s level of expertise is going to leave evidence of his own alleged crimes in tact? He’s not stupid. And, evidently, he has a conscience.
13
Weren't the Prohibition gangsters incarcerated not for murder, racketeering and dealing in illegal contraband, but for tax evasion?
Sounds eerily similar...
28
Why eery? Capone did in fact avoid paying taxes thus his conviction on tax evasion charges was legit. This sounds highly suspicious if you paid attention. I don't see someone being so clever they leave no usable evidence yet so stupid as to leave child porn on a server they own.
5
Ordered a hacker to stay off line!
Wonder if his next text or posting took place in the courtroom or on the steps?
7
As most readers of this paper know, WikiLeaks are friends of Trump, there is a lot more to this story than what has been printed in this brief article.
8
"Otherwise he is just languishing."
Sounds appropriate. But, to the point of the prosecutors' actions: If they can put this traitor away for the same duration under child pornography charges as treason, fine. That eliminates the potential for classified details that might be aired in the treason case to be leaked.
9
The problem with your claim is that the government has not charged him with treason. Unless you were involved with the leak itself, you can't make a valid claim about anybody's guilt. That's why we have courts, and that's why we are supposed to presume innocence.
Now, if Mr. Schulte is on tape with Billy Bush bragging about grabbing classified secrets by the dongle, perhaps you could make a case for espionage before trial. It's too bad that Billy Bush traffics in mere locker room talk.
11
Yes. Good reply.
3
It was unclear from the story if he was a child pornographer, rented server space to child pornographers, knew he was doing that, or something else. Keep in mind if you visit a porn site (legal) and one of the categories you can click on and view has the word “teen” in the category title with a picture of a teen or young looking model, you in essence have downloaded child porn whether you clicked and viewed that category or not. Regarding this person hacking and helping to bring to light government plans to turn our TVs into police monitoring of our home life, that is something we should be very grateful for. Those commenters condemning such hacking and exposing step back and realize these hackers are our only chance to at least slow down our becoming a total police state.
15
If he created a server business and rented space on it, and the server had hundreds of users, it is entirely possible that he had nothing to do with the child porn on the server. In fact, if he was in IT it would be remarkable that he would have done something so obvious and dumb.
8
America's intelligence agencies were compromised decades ago by their politicization. Instead of exercising their mandate to collect and analyze information for decision-making by our elected officials, they either developed their own agenda -- as in the case of Hoover's F.B.I. -- or tailored their analyses to fit the hopes and expectations of whoever was President.
To make matters worse, the C.I.A. at the behest of Presidents became a major operational agency, not merely engaging in what were properly military functions but taking its focus off its primary responsibility, the gathering and analysis of information.
Reading intelligence files (courtesy of the F.O.I.A.) before 9/11, I thought them a cross between funny and stupid. On one hand the files showed the self-serving, bloated bureaucracy President Reagan warned about, (though he was referring to other agencies of the government.) On the other hand they did not see what was in front of their eyes, because they had predetermined pictures that they forced information into. After 9/11 it was clear this was significantly of greater consequence than merely being funny or stupid.
Large bureaucracies are like battleships, capable of projecting great power, but relatively slow to turn to meet new threats. What recent events have demonstrated and this article references is that America needs more nimble intelligence agencies, ones less inclined toward maintenance of their current m.o. and more toward current exigencies.
10
I suspect the government has more of a case than this article suggests, given that Mr. Schulte has been held for a year.
Schulte's excuse for the server having over 10K pornographic images of children is lame. It's his server and he is responsible for what is on it.
I understand that his father wants to believe in him, but that faith may not be warranted here.
25
"10K of child porn"? So that's what, about twenty, thirty pictures?
OK, that's suspicious right then and there. If someone is downloading porn, they won't download twenty or thirty pictures. Most likely they will do it in batches of several hundred at a time.
If he truly downloaded porn, I would expect there to be thousands of images totaling at least half a gigabyte.
4
Michael B. English:
"10K" = "10,000."
"10K pornographic images" = "10,000 pornographic images."
I think you're thinking he wrote "10KB," which would barely be a handful of pix.
2
I'm no fan of government surveillance of innocent civilians, but since 2016 it should be clear to everyone that Julian Assange and WikiLeaks are the not champions of transparency that they pretend to be. Rather, they serve a Putinist agenda. You never see them divulging Trump's tax records, or Russian oligarchs' money-laundering transactions. The leaks are almost always to the detriment of America, never Russia.
346
Quit dodging the REAL ISSUE:
"But instead of charging Mr. Schulte in the breach, referred to as the Vault 7 leak, prosecutors charged him last August with possessing child pornography, saying agents had found 10,000 illicit images on a server he created as a business in 2009 while studying at the University of Texas at Austin."
___
Over 10,000 images found on a server he created IN 2009!
This ISN'T TRUMP's fault NOR is it OBAMA's fault. It's a VERY DISTURBING apolitical issue that occurred in a government law enforcement office that should be dealt with harshly if charges are proven to be true.
2
It's sort of a David and Goliath thing - Russia may be unsavory, but the US is the world's Goliath. Few Americans know what our country does and represents beyond our borders. If they're letting Trump off easy it's probably because they see that he, too, is fighting the Establishment and is supported by the disenfranchised. Let's face it, a "Hugo Chavez" could never make it through American presidential politics.
5
Any programmer with skill goes to work for the higher-paying private sector. The Govt can only choose from what is left over. These include predominantly the self-taught and braggadocious men of reddit. Hackers are all about breaking the law and impressing themselves and each other. If you hire hackers because you lack expertise in hackery and you also lack the expertise to supervise them you will reap what you sow. Russia has an advantage - they disappear their hackers even if they do what was asked of them.
7
Convolution theory and a knowledge of impulse response will eventually identify the leaker(s). But it takes time. You gotta have output evidence, so we have to wait.
In the meantime tighten security vetting and protocols. At least try to. Some leaks unfortunately are inevitable.
2
Why does Schulte still have access to the internet in any way, shape, or form? And is Robert Mueller working to see if his activities have ties to the Trump election team?
4
Did you read the article? He was told not to access the internet and did so anyway, which is at least part of the reason he is in jail.
3
Sprinkle some CP on him and pack it up. Probably shouldn't be reporting his name before a conviction, because this is probably going to be the first thing that shows up on a search for him in the future. Good luck finding a job after this regardless the result.
4
The porn charge is awfully convenient and appears to be the only thing they are presently able to stick on him, albeit indirectly. I’d rather see him go down for treason, if they can prove it. Appears they can’t, unless they are saving the good stuff for the trial.
11
This article seems to indicate that the Government does not have much of a case. According to the article, "agents told the court they had retrieved 'N.S.A. and C.I.A. paperwork' in addition to a computer, tablet, phone and other electronics." What does "paperwork" mean? Why did the Government not state that it was classified or otherwise private information? Paperwork, to me, can mean recruiting documents or general information about those agencies. And, the Government is taking a long time indicting the suspect for the leaks.
Furthermore, the child pornography case looks weak as well. The suspect was one of hundreds of people with access to the server back in 2009. And, if this person was a child pornographer, how did that not come up in the background check? In the context of all the recent leaks, it seems to me that the agencies need to do a much better job at vetting employees and protecting secrets.
110
Could it be that our Intel agencies are negotiating with this guy for more that he could reveal? He didn't do this alone.
34
So much for people commenting and following the judicial process of being innocent until being found guilty!
56
Where is the evidence? Where is the legal defense?
It seems Mr. Schulte has been convicted by the commenters on this page anyway. Maybe we should get rid of the criminal court system as a needless expense. If the CIA, or FBI, or ICE, or any cop anywhere says you're guilty, that's it. Off to prison with you.
I'm sceptical of the porn charges. It looks like something drummed up to hold on to Schulte because a) The CIA doesn't have the vidence to convict on the data release, b) the evidence would be embarrassing to the agency, or c) both.
160
We'll see if you're right when the evidence is presented in court. Criminals are very fond of trying to get people to believe the charges against them are "drummed up." Be patient and reserve your reverse rush to judgment.
2
The FBI also has evidence that he molested a passed out friend of his: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/joshua-schulte-wikileaks-cia-hack_u...
1
A man accused of violating the Espionage Act has a public defender for a lawyer? He must be very sure of the outcome, whether for good or ill.
6
First, public defenders have been among the smartest lawyers I've known. Second, he may not have the money to retain a lawyer.
29
You have to apply for a public defender and be found eligible financially. I was confused as it said his relatives were spending their savings on legal fees, which would not be the case with a PD.
1
Maybe Putin is paying the public defender on the side.
2
Boy, has anyone heard of due process on this comment thread? So far, all we know is that he's been charged with these offenses. He hasn't been convicted of nor plead guilty to anything yet.
It's quite possible that he's only a scapegoat for an agency desperately looking for a way to end this embarrassing situation that has haunted them over the last five years. Doesn't sound like this guy has a criminal record either.
You can bet that the Agency has been desperate to find somebody to take their frustration out on since they haven't been able to get to Snowden. Please everyone, let's stand back, relax and breathe.
256
Rob,
Are you reading the same comments I am? Because a disproportionate number of them not only sympathize with the guy but accuse the CIA of nefarious activity.
3
RU: "... the Agency has been desperate to find somebody to take their frustration out on since they haven't been able to get to Snowden."
Snowden leaked NSA documents. The NSA and the CIA are *different* agencies. Try to come up with a better "theory".
2
The failure of the CIA, FBI and NSA to deter, detect and defeat the 9/11/01 attacks and Russian hacking of the 2016 Presidential campaign and election is the ultimate sin.
2
Here's the sticky wicket: How would we have known that our government was attempting to turn our electronic devices into surveillance tools without these leaks?
98
@Leslie... unless your using non electronic self destructive notes the government has it all.
1
Because it is a safe assumption and common knowledge those devices can be hacked. Did you think they are secure?
5
Your Facebook program is recording every move you make, every breath you take, they are watching you. So is Google.
5
Could be some overlap between this case and the Mueller investigation.
2
America's intelligence agencies were compromised decades ago by their politicization. Instead of exercising their mandate to collect and analyze information for decision-making by our elected officials, they either developed their own agenda -- as in the case of Hoover's F.B.I. -- or tailored their analyses to fit the hopes and expectations of whoever was President.
To make matters worse, the C.I.A. at the behest of Presidents became a major operational agency, not merely engaging in what were properly military functions but taking its focus off its primary responsibility, the gathering and analysis of information.
Reading intelligence files (courtesy of the F.O.I.A.) before 9/11, I thought them a cross between funny and stupid. On one hand the files showed the self-serving, bloated bureaucracy President Reagan warned about, (though he was referring to other agencies of the government.) On the other hand they did not see what was in front of their eyes, because they had predetermined pictures that they forced information into. After 9/11 it was clear this was significantly of greater consequence than merely being funny or stupid.
Large bureaucracies are like battleships, capable of projecting great power, but relatively slow to turn to meet new threats. What recent events have demonstrated and this article references is that America needs more nimble intelligence agencies, ones less inclined toward maintenance of their current m.o. and more toward current exigencies.
16
This happened on Trumps watch. Stay tuned for more!
9
How is this person different than Ms Manning who President Obama let out of prison and who is now running for the US Senate. She was supposed to be in for 35, but apparently seen as a hero by the administration.
4
In building a case last year that Trump’s associations with Russia were the only possible source of computer malfeasance that mattered (no one but he could be as corrupt and would dare), putting another sail up into the wind at the same time might have taken the boat anywhere other than on the rocks where we were determined to put Trump.
1
Were we not told that Russians or North Korea stole the files ? Or some other intelligence agency was the burglar ?
And here it turns out that one small operator could steal such important information ...
9
If he did that, he should be given an opportunity to defend himself in court, unless in prosecuting him the government has to disclose even more "secret" information. People who divulge that kind of "top secret" information should be tried as "Traitors" and made an example of. We gotta stop mollycoddling traitors. Since we can't shoot them anymore, life in prison without parole should put the appropriate penalty to punish the offender and put potential traitors on notice about the gravity of the offense and the punishment they will face. Maybe Guantanamo?
4
He’s no better than Edward Snowden, who’s now hiding out in Russia. Lock this creep up; he’s a traitor and an alleged trader in kiddie porn.
And, be it noted, this happened on Donald Trump’s watch. Can’t wait for Sarah Huckabee-Sanders’s spin on this breach.
129
In March of last year, Trump had been in office for what, seven or eight weeks?
5
If he's a traitor, he'll be charged. If they're unable to charge him, it's possible his family is correct.
5
You should read some of his essays and pray you are never caught up in something like this. Perhaps you're right and he's guilty. At the moment he's languishing and charged on something unrelated.
16
Cut him no slack. This defendant has no conscience it seems. He leaks a voluminous amount of CIA data, gives it to Wikileaks, and then is caught with child pornography. And while incarcerated complains about the criminal justice system. Sounds like another traitor, Snowden. Take the time to charge him and let him rot in jail. I'm sure he has no remorse and sees himself as a victim.
73
So, guilty until proven innocent, yes? He has not been charged with leaking anything. He's been charged on something unrelated and, possibly, tangential. I read a couple of his essays. You should too.
10
Unless you've spoken to him, you have no basis at all for your last sentence. As for "let him rot", do you have any understanding at all of due process, or why it's important?
1
A common story, perhaps. A CIA employee has a porn habit that makes it possible to blackmail him into disclosing government secrets.
72
Let me guess. S(he) is a contractor, like all the other CIA leakers. And they work for Booz Allen, like all the other leakers.
20
Who ever hired that guy should have done more than read a resume and do a background check. A conversation and a motherly look in his lying eyes could have spared us as a nation much agony.
I have hired thousands of people as a headhunter and as a corporate recruiter, but never a bad apple like that.
23
Give me a break and let's think about the corrupt organization this guy works for. They got as good as they give. This is one spy agency I would shut down if I had omnipotent power.
18
At least not that you're aware of.
18
How did yo get to be so much better than everyone else?
4