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Prosecutors describe ex-CIA engineer charged in massive leak as 'angry and vindictive'
Joshua Schulte is a former CIA coder accused of sending the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks a large portion of the agency’s computer hacking arsenal — tools the agency had used to conduct espionage operations overseas. His defense attorney argued the man had been scapegoated for a breach that exposed secret cyberweapons and spying techniques. Prosecutors have said the leak was devastating to national security, as it exposed CIA operatives, brought intelligence gathering to a halt and left allies wondering whether the U.S. could be trusted with sensitive information. Schulte left a trail of evidence despite learned attempts to erase his digital fingerprints, Laroche said in closing arguments. Schulte became disgruntled at the CIA, he said, and took meticulous steps to plan — and cover up — the 2016 theft. Schulte, 31, worked for a CIA group in Langley, Va., that designs computer code to spy on foreign adversaries. The so-called Vault 7 leak revealed how the CIA would hack Apple and Android cellphones in overseas spying operations. The government settled too hastily on Schulte as the leaker, Shroff said, ignoring suspicious activity by one of his colleagues who was ultimately suspended. The prosecution's theory has “giant holes,” she said, including the unresolved question of why WikiLeaks waited nearly a year to publish the archive. Related: Joshua Schulte: 2020-02-05 'Espionage trial begins for Klingon Wikileaker Josh Schulte Joshua Schulte: 2019-08-26 Video shows MCC inmate using illicit phone for Facebook Live broadcast Joshua Schulte: 2018-06-20 Ex-CIA engineer charged with massive leak to WikiLeaks Related: WikiLeaks: 2020-02-25 CIA fakes story about its own corrupt deeds dealing with Iranian terrorist org Jundallah and Abdolmalek Rigi. Plants stories in mainstream media to edit the historical record to create sources for Wikipedia. WikiLeaks: 2020-02-18 How the heroic Michael Flynn may have prevented WWIII WikiLeaks: 2020-02-11 Good morning Posted by: Skidmark 2020-03-03 |
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