The Intercept on Monday said it had no knowledge of the source behind a classified National Security Agency document despite mounting criticism from national security commentators the news outlet didn't take proper steps to protect the government contractor's identity, The Washington Post reports.
Reality Winner, a 25-year-old national government contractor based out of Augusta, Ga., was charged Monday with sending a classified report about Russia's interference in the 2016 election to the news media.
The Justice Department announced the case against Winner about an hour after the Intercept published the document, a May 5 intelligence report from the NSA.
"While the FBI's allegations against Winner have been made public through the release of an affidavit and search warrant, which were unsealed at the government's request, it is important to keep in mind that these documents contain unproven assertions and speculation designed to serve the government's agenda and as such warrant skepticism," the Intercept said in a statement. "Winner faces allegations that have not been proven. The same is true of the FBI's claims about how it came to arrest Winner."
According to court documents, the reporter from the Intercept provided a hard copy of the document to an NSA contact in an attempt to verify it and also told that contact it was mailed from Augusta.
"The Intercept made egregious mistakes that doomed its source," said Surveillance reporter Barton Gellman.
"The Intercept blew its source's cover by giving the NSA a copy of the leaked document," said Washington Post national security columnist Josh Rogin.
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