An FBI agent and whistleblower essential of the bureau relationship again to President Trump’s first time period was arrested this week at JFK Airport and charged with illegally disclosing labeled intel when he circulated his draft of a e book, in response to court docket docs.
Johnathan Buma, who labored in counterintelligence, was taken into custody Monday simply as he was about to hop on a world flight — and slapped with expenses the next day alleging he printed confidential supplies from the FBI after which shared the trove with associates in 2023, authorities mentioned.
“The e book draft contained info that Buma obtained by way of his place as an FBI Particular Agent that pertains to the FBI’s efforts and investigations right into a overseas nation’s weapons of mass destruction (“WMD”) program,” a part of the affidavit recordsdata Tuesday claims.
Buma’s potential e book was centered on his profession as an FBI agent, together with his work as a whistleblower, the affidavit states.
The 15-year-old FBI veteran who labored out of a California area workplace printed about 130 recordsdata from the company’s inner community, together with some marked protected, in addition to different paperwork that have been additionally protected, in response to the court docket paperwork.
As soon as he obtained the supplies, he put in for depart in October 2023, authorities mentioned.
Buma spoke out in opposition to the FBI earlier than that, submitting a whistleblower grievance in January 2022 that alleged “quite a few acts of intelligence suppression” of his reporting tied to overseas intelligence.
The grievance additionally claimed he was being retaliated in opposition to for airing his accusations, the charging paperwork state.
Buma advised Enterprise Insider in September 2023 4 years earlier when he offered info to a supervisor on the Los Angeles area workplace about potential prison actions between former President Biden’s son, Hunter and the Ukrainian vitality firm he sat on the board of, Burisma, his boss was “adamant” about shifting that case alongside.
However he mentioned when he tried to assert in the identical assembly former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani may need been compromised in a Russian counter-influence operation, the superior shut him down instantly.
The subsequent month, Buma’s residence was raided over suspicion he mishandled labeled info with some privileged info seized, in response to reporting on the time.
A lawyer representing Buma after the raid, Scott Horton, claimed to Enterprise Insider on the time no labeled info was discovered.
Buma was launched on $100,000 bail throughout a listening to in Brooklyn federal court docket and his case shall be dealt with in California federal court docket.
A lawyer who represented Buma in court docket this week didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
Extra reporting by Joe Marino and Kyle Schnitzer.
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