The news website that published a report based on classified government documents urged skepticism of the government’s charges against the alleged leaker following charges announced Monday.
In a statement Tuesday, The Intercept said it did not know who provided the documents but that charges against Reality Leigh Winner, who was arrested and accused with leaking the report, deserve scrutiny.
“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 statement read.
“Winner faces allegations that have not been proven. The same is true of the FBI’s claims about how it came to arrest Winner.”
The Intercept has been criticized for its handling of the report, with critics claiming they burned their source when they provided a copy of the document to the government when asking for comment.
The Justice Department Monday charged Winner, 25, under the Espionage Act after allegedly sharing classified documents with the Intercept that detailed a Russian cyberattack on U.S. election system software.
Winner’s arrest represents the first major crackdown on government leaks in the Trump administration, which has faced a series of damaging leaks that have pushed the narrative that the president and his associates may have ties to the Russian government.
