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A former congressman, a member of the Democratic Party, would contest the charges against the government and the government for publishing private information about Republican senators on the Wikipedia site and threatening a witness who surprised him on a computer in the office from another legislator, said his lawyer Thursday.
Jackson A. Cosko, 27, of the district, faces one indictment and six charges of up to 20 years' imprisonment for allegedly publishing the personal information of five senators during and after the September 27 hearing on the sexual assault charges against Brett M. Kavanaugh, Supreme Court candidate.
US magistrate Deborah A. Robinson of the district ordered Cosko to be held on Thursday during her first court appearance, pending a hearing.
Cosko was arrested on Wednesday by US Capitol police, who said he was arrested while he was sneaking into the offices of Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) After 22 hours. Tuesday and using the computer and the connection of an assistant, according to the documents filed by the court and the people familiar with the case.
Another collaborator admitted that Cosko was a person who had been forced to resign from Hassan's office last May, ordered him to leave and called the police, according to an affidavit from the police.
A few minutes later, this assistant received a threatening email with the subject "I own everything" and a text stating "If you tell anyone, I'll reveal everything. E-mails signal gmails conversations. Information on the health and social activities of Senators' children, "said Capitol Police Captain Jason R. Bell in a nine-page affidavit on Cosko's arrest.
[Former junior Democratic aide charged with posting personal data on GOP senators online]
Hassan spokesman Aaron Jacobs said Cosko "was asked to resign for not following the procedures of his office, and we had no reason to believe that he posed a risk. "
The affidavit on the arrest indicated that five senators were screwed – or that personal or identity information had been made public on the Internet – when an anonymous user of Wikipedia had edited their pages to add phone numbers and personal addresses. The information was quickly removed after the discovery of the doxing and the authorities' contact with the authorities.
Data on three senators were published shortly before 6 pm on September 27 and on two others, shortly before 6 pm on October 1, police said. The court record did not name any legislators, but the online records show that senators included members of the GOP's Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Lindsey O. Graham (SC), Mike Lee (Utah), and Orrin G. Hatch. (Utah).
One of the five amendments included the following statements: "He dares to ask for an inquiry about ME?!?!?!?!?" And "I am the God of Gold", as well as "We are malevolent and hostile" and "Send us bitcoins," said the police.
Cosko did not speak at a 15-minute hearing Thursday and his lawyer, Brian Stolarz, patted him on the shoulder several times.
Stolarz told reporters: "In this political climate, everyone wants to jump to conclusions. We have to put aside conspiracy theories and focus on the allegations. "
The police reportedly traced one of the messages posted on September 27 on a computer in the House of Representatives to which a person with the Cosko ID and password had accessed at 5:45 pm. Other Wikipedia changes have been attributed to devices connected to guest Open House and Senate wireless networks, the police said.
"The investigation will continue and further charges may be laid in the future," said Eva Malecki, spokeswoman for the Capitol police, after the arrest.
Cosko worked as an unpaid employee in August when she was arrested at the office of US Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.), Who said it ended her scholarship and cooperated with the investigation.
[‘Despicable lies’: Rep. Maxine Waters denies her staff doxed Republicans on Wikipedia]
Previously, Cosko had worked for about 17 months as a low-level assistant for Hassan, raising about $ 23,000 over a six-month period, according to Legistorm's Congressional Disclosure Site, and was previously employed by Sen at 39; era. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).
Cosko's LinkedIn profile indicates that he is a graduate student at George Washington University, where he earned his BA and worked from January 2016 to May 2018 as a trainee, press assistant and system / administrator correspondent. system, assisting senior officials of the Senate in matters before it. and internal security committees, including cybersecurity issues.
Cosko has no connection with the office of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.). Last week, Waters issued a statement condemning the online conspiracy theories targeting one of its staff members, claiming that the Capitol police and internal computer scientists had determined that an IP address cited online neither belonged to his office nor to any of his collaborators.
Waters chief of staff Twaun Samuel said the assistant received threatening phone calls and e-mails and had to leave home last week.
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