Former defense official sentenced to 30 months for leaking classified info to journalists
A former Defense Intelligence Agency official was sentenced to 30 months in prison Thursday for leaking classified information to two journalists, including one with whom he was in a relationship. Henry Kyle Frese, 31, pleaded guilty in February to the willful transmission of Top Secret national defense information. He admitted sharing top-secret defense reports with the reporters, including details on China’s weapons systems, in 2018 and 2019. He had faced up to 10 years in prison. “When our nation’s secrets are published, in print or online, those secrets are made available to all of our adversaries,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Frese’s choice to betray his oath to his country had real consequences and caused actual harm to the safety of this country and its citizens.” Frese held a top-secret clearance at the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he started as a contractor in January 2017 before becoming a full-time employee. He was arrested in October when he arrived at work.
An article on China’s defenses was one of at least eight articles written by two NBC-affiliated journalists based on intelligence reports Frese leaked, according to court documents. The journalists were not identified in the indictment, but public tweets cited in court filings correspond with stories written by Amanda Macias, a CNBC reporter, and Courtney Kube, a reporter for NBC. Neither reporter nor NBC News responded to requests for comment. Ms. Kube covers national security and the military, and Ms. Macias reports on the Pentagon. Neither has been charged with a crime. Ms. Macias is thought to have had a romantic relationship with Frese because they lived together and appeared in each other’s social media posts, prosecutors said. Between mid-April and early May 2018, Frese took the classified intelligence reports, some of which were unrelated to his job duties, and transmitted them to Ms. Macias using his cellphone, prosecutors said. Ms. Macias then asked her paramour if he could help out Ms. Kube. According to court documents, Frese said he was “down” with helping Ms. Kube because it would help her “progress.” She also published an article based on Frese’s leaks.
John C. Demers, assistant attorney general for national security at the Justice Department said the sentence demonstrates the department’s commitment to prosecuting leak cases. “Frese repeatedly passed classified information to a reporter, sometimes in response to her requests, all for personal gain,” he said in a statement. “When this information was published, it was shared with all of our nation’s adversaries, creating a risk of exceptionally grave harm to the security of this country.”
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jun/18/henry-frese-ex-defense-official-sentenced-30-month/
New Documentary Exposes How the CCP Is Manipulating America
There is an invisible war raging in the world. Not a war fought with bullets and guns, but a war of manipulation. It’s a war fought by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against the free world using the full force of its propaganda and influence apparatus. Not only does the CCP actively spread its propaganda to the West, it has even succeeded in dictating what can and cannot be said in free societies. However, this growing influence has gone largely unnoticed. And by now, it has penetrated all levels of American society. In this new age of information warfare, where a hostile foreign power is waging a war for our minds, what can be done? In this new in-depth report, we explore China’s “Grand External Propaganda” campaign against America and the rest of the free world and reveal the playbook it uses.
Premiering on June 20 at 9:00 p.m. ET:
China In Focus YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/ChinainFocusNTD
The Epoch Times YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/epochtimesdigital
NTD YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/NTDTV
NTD website:
https://www.ntd.com
https://www.theepochtimes.com/programming-alert-new-documentary-exposes-how-ccp-is-manipulating-america_3393314.html#
Still alive, well, and growing by the day
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jun/18/donald-trump-tulsa-rally-grows-grand-spectacle-cro/
Chinese Mask Manufacturer Charged With Selling Defective KN95 Masks
A Chinese mask-maker was charged on June 17 for exporting to the United States more than 140,000 defective masks that were marketed as KN95 respirators, the latest case targeting companies allegedly selling faulty medical gear amid the pandemic. Federal prosecutors alleged China-based Crawford Technology Group (Hong Kong) Co. sold masks to a U.S. distributor claiming to meet standards filtering 95 percent of small particles. The masks were purported to be KN95 respirators. Such masks, which have a similar filtration standard to N95 respirators, are used by health care workers. However, tests found that the masks only filtered 22 percent of small particles—well below the 95 percent filtration standard, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
The prosecution was part of efforts to stem the flow of counterfeit and substandard personal protective equipment into the United States. U.S. hospitals and authorities have turned to foreign firms, particularly from China, to supply medical products amid a severe shortage caused by the pandemic. However, much of the imported gear hasn’t met quality standards after testing. Around the world, many countries have recalled or sent back faulty masks, test kits, and protective suits manufactured in China. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents inspected the shipment of masks from Crawford, which arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in early May, according to the complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. The unidentified distributor paid Crawford about $150,000 for the masks, it said. The packaging claimed the masks complied with established standards in the European Union and China, and the company’s website said the respirators have “4 layers of protection” and “passed the national standard 2626-2000 test,” according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors charged Crawford with making false claims about the mask’s filtration standards in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The charge carries a maximum fine of $200,000.
“Defective and misbranded personal protection equipment is a danger to all who unwittingly purchase and use it,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said in a press release. On June 5, prosecutors charged another Chinese manufacturer with exporting nearly half a million faulty masks that were purported to be N95 respirators. In May, the Food and Drug Administration revoked approval for more than 60 N95-type mask manufacturers in China to export to the United States, after testing found that many of their products didn’t meet quality standards.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/chinese-mask-manufacturer-charged-with-selling-defective-kn95-masks_3393398.html