The former assistant intelligence services in the Senate of Ellicott City pleaded guilty to having lied to the FBI about contact with a journalist

A former security director of the Senate Intelligence Committee, a veteran, pleaded guilty Monday to having lied to FBI agents about his contact with a reporter during a federal leak investigation.

James Wolfe, 57, pleaded guilty to a charge of lying to investigators in October 2017 about the use of encrypted messaging to inform a reporter of a summons. to appear issued by the committee.

The journalist was not appointed in court or in court. Prosecutors agreed to file two more charges related to Wolfe's interactions with three other reporters.

Wolfe was not accused of disclosing classified information, which his attorneys emphasized during the hearing of his plea.

Wolfe, of Ellicott City, was moved several times during his hearing before US District Judge Ketanji Jackson, taking long breaks to acknowledge his guilt and possible loss of rights as a culprit. He wiped his tears as he sat down after a conversation with the judge. Her voice broke when she asked him when he was ready to make his decision.

"I'm guilty of your honor," Wolfe told the judge.

Wolfe was charged on June 7 for three false statements about his contacts with journalists while he was the committee's director of security, responsible for overseeing the processing of secret and top secret information transmitted by the community. intelligence for surveillance purposes.

In June, the government claimed that Wolfe, who had served as a senator for nearly 30 years, from 1987 to May, lied to FBI agents in December 2017 about repeated contacts with four journalists, including through the media. 39; use of encrypted email applications. He was also accused of lying by informing two reporters of non-public information about the cases brought before the committee.

"Jim accepted responsibility for his actions," his lawyers said in a statement released after the hearing, "and chose to resolve this case now so that he and his family can move forward in life." The lawyers, Preston Burton, Benjamin B. Klubes and Lauren Randell, said they would have more to say about "Jim's distinguished record, nearly three decades of dedicated service to the Senate and intelligence," at the hearing of determination of his sentence 20 December.

The judge said Wolfe faces a sentence of zero to six months in prison. The defense and prosecutors said they did not agree on a recommended sentence.

Wolfe pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his interactions only with journalist # 3.

On October 17, journalist # 3 asked Wolfe, using the encrypted e-mail application, to provide contact information for the person summoned, and Wolfe was obliged, according to the indictment. Later that day, this reporter published an article revealing the summons to appear before the committee. After the publication of the article, Wolfe congratulated the reporter, using Signal, to tell him "Good job!" and "I'm glad you had the scoop," said the indictment.