BALTIMORE : The former Senate Intelligence Committee staffer accused of lying to FBI agents about his contacts with reporters was released from custody Friday after a brief court proceeding.
James A. Wolfe, 58, who was arrested Thursday at his Maryland home, must appear at FBI headquarters on Monday for booking. He will then have an initial appearance in federal court in Washington on Tuesday.
Wolfe, who retired in May, was indicted on three counts of making false statements in December about contacts with reporters, including providing sensitive information related to the work of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
He was the longtime security director for the committee, which has been focused for the last 18 months on an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Wolfe escorted witnesses who testified before the committee in connection with the Russia probe before he was placed on leave in December.
President Donald Trump applauded his arrest, saying, “I’m a very big believer in freedom of the press, but I’m also a believer that you cannot leak classified information.”
Wolfe is actually not charged with leaking classified information. He is charged only with lying to the FBI when he denied having contact with certain reporters.
The indictment suggests that the FBI investigation was launched because classified information showed up in an article by one of the reporters, but it does not explicitly say that he gave any reporter classified information.
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