Defense Department contractor arrested and charged with mishandling classified documents
CNN
A contractor for the Defense Department was arrested Friday and charged with mishandling classified documents, according to an FBI complaint.
A contractor for the Defense Department was arrested Friday and charged with mishandling classified documents, according to an FBI complaint. From May until as recently as August 7, Turkey-born electrical engineer Gokhan Gun printed over 250 documents at work, a few of which were labeled “top secret,” FBI officials allege. Because of his employment with the Defense Department, Gun possesses a top-secret clearance, but he was not authorized to take the documents home, according to an 11-page complaint filed in a Virginia federal court. Gun was scheduled to depart the US for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Thursday morning, before federal agents executing a search warrant caught him leaving his home ahead of the flight, according to the complaint. In their initial search of his backpack, agents found a document marked “top secret.” During their search of his home, agents found stacks of papers in what appeared to be his dining room, where they discovered a few more documents labeled “top secret.” In one instance of his alleged printing of documents, Gun was seen leaving the office with what appeared to be “rolled papers within a partially translucent shopping bag,” according to officials. In another instance, Gun was seen exiting the office with a “translucent red shopping bag” and observed traveling to his Fairfax, Virginia, residence. He was then seen operating two cell phones before heading to his second residence in Falls Church, Virginia. Officials confirmed Gun had not been issued a work cell phone. Gun is a frequent traveler, having taken numerous trips to Turkey and to various European and Middle Eastern countries, according to officials. He owns homes in Virginia, Texas and Florida.
White House officials are heaping blame on DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro over her office’s criminal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, faulting her for blindsiding them with an inquiry that has forced the administration into a dayslong damage control campaign, four people familiar with the matter told CNN.
The interim Venezuelan government has freed at least four Americans who were imprisoned in Venezuela, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Tuesday.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is now providing free internet access via its Starlink satellite service to users in Iran as the country’s regime continues its bloody crackdown on anti-government protests, according to a tech expert in touch with Iranian Starlink users.
The aircraft used in the US military’s first strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, a strike which has drawn intense scrutiny and resulted in numerous Congressional briefings, was painted as a civilian aircraft and was part of a closely guarded classified program, sources familiar with the program told CNN. Its use “immediately drew scrutiny and real concerns” from lawmakers, one of the sources familiar said, and legislators began asking questions about the aircraft during briefings in September.
DOJ pleads with lawyers to get through ‘grind’ of Epstein files as criticism of redactions continues
“It is a grind,” the head of the Justice Department’s criminal division said in an email. “While we certainly encourage aggressive overachievers, we need reviewers to hit the 1,000-page mark each day.”
A new classified legal opinion produced by the Justice Department argues that President Donald Trump was not limited by domestic law when approving the US operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro because of his constitutional authority as commander-in-chief and that he is not constrained by international law when it comes to carrying out law enforcement operations overseas, according to sources who have read the memo.
President Donald Trump is working to tighten his grip on his party this week as he faces an unusual threat from Congress: an embarrassing rebuke of his military actions overseas.
Bill and Hillary Clinton refused to appear on Capitol Hill Tuesday to testify in Congress’ Jeffrey Epstein probe in the face of threats from the House Oversight Committee to hold them in contempt.
Former teacher Arnulfo Reyes was questioned repeatedly in court Tuesday about how doors were left open at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, before a gunman entered in May 2022 and killed 21 children and teachers.
The Trump administration does not know the whereabouts of 137 Venezuelans it unlawfully deported last year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, adding that attempting to offer them due process would impact US foreign policy interests in the country.
Around 1,000 additional US Customs and Border Protection agents are expected to deploy to Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to two federal law enforcement sources. Follow for live updates.
President Donald Trump’s efforts to leverage the Justice Department for political purposes and to exact retribution against his perceived foes haven’t suffered from a series of setbacks.
Minnesota and Illinois separately filed lawsuits Monday against the Trump administration, arguing the president’s immigration crackdown is terrorizing their communities and violating the Constitution.