A former Army employee profiled by Politico was indicted Wednesday for allegedly sharing classified material with a journalist.
Courtney Williams, 40, held a top secret security clearance during the period she worked for a “special military unit” out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, between 2010 and 2016, according to the indictment.
She is accused of repeatedly communicating with Seth Harp, a journalist and author, via phone calls and text messages between 2022 and 2025, during which she provided statements to Harp containing “classified national defense information” that he published in a book and magazine article published by Politico.
Harp directly attributed statements to Williams for his August 2025 exposé on sexual misconduct and drug trafficking that allegedly took place within the ranks of the Army’s elite Delta Force.
It’s unclear what specific material in Harp’s magazine piece or book may have been classified. The indictment notes the offending content is related to sensitive “Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs)” used by the special military unit.
Williams expressed concern about what Harp attributed to her in text messages she allegedly sent to the journalist and her mother after reading his story.
“I wish you had sent me a copy of what was to be published prior to publishing … I would definitely have been concerned with the amount of classified information being disclosed,” she wrote in one text message to the reporter, according to the indictment.
“I thought things I was telling you so you could have a better general understanding of how the [SMU] was set up or operated would not be published and it feels like an entire TTP was sent out in my name giving them a chance to legally persecute me,” she added.
Williams, per the indictment, noted, “I’m taking deep breaths, but have a feeling this is going to be more of a nightmare for my children than not.”
The former Army employee then lamented to her mother, “I might actually get arrested, and I don’t even get a free copy of the book,” according to another text message included in the charging documents.
When her mother asked why she might be arrested, Williams allegedly responded, “For disclosing classified information.”
Harp did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
In a statement posted on social media, he described Williams as a “courageous whistleblower” and called her arrest “an outrage.”
In addition to the sensitive information she allegedly provided Harp, Williams is also accused of making “unauthorized disclosures of national defense information” on social media.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Williams’ arrest should “serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests.” “This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way,” Patel wrote on X.
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