U.S. officials alleged that Schulte had stolen a time-stamped copy of data from a top-secret CIA developer network used to create hacking tools, and that this exact backup was the version obtained by WikiLeaks. But officials could not show any direct contact between Schulte and WikiLeaks, and the jury deadlocked on the most serious charges.
A turning point in the trial, according to O’Brien, came when Schulte’s lawyers seized on information that a former CIA colleague of Schulte’s, known as “Michael,” had been placed on administrative leave because he refused to cooperate with investigators looking into the Vault 7 breach. Schulte’s lawyers claimed that prosecutors had withheld potentially exculpatory evidence regarding CIA suspicions that Michael was involved with the leak.
Some recent delays have revolved around establishing the procedures by which Schulte will be able to access — or if he will be able to access — the materials prosecutors allege he already leaked, as well as the servers used for the highly classified CIA developer network. Over the next several months, WikiLeaks would go on to publish what the CIA investigation said were “comprehensive descriptions of 35 [hacking] tools, including internal CIA documents associated with each tool.”These releases involved “26 separate disclosures of classified information,” according to prosecutors.
At the agency, “people were shocked” by Vault 7, said a former CIA official. “Basically, the agency got Shadow Brokered,” recalled this person, referring to a series of major leaks of National Security Agency hacking tools by a mysterious online group that began in the summer of 2016.
We the public have a right to know what our employees, public servants doing in our name!
Law Law Latest News, Law Law Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: CNBC - 🏆 12. / 72 Read more »