Source for U.S. Military Exposé Indicted under Espionage Act

A woman in North Carolina, Courtney Williams, has been indicted by a grand jury on charges under the Espionage Act for allegedly sharing classified information with investigative journalist Seth Harp for his 2025 book The Fort Bragg Cartel, which exposed widespread abuses at the military base.

Defending Rights & Dissent Policy Director Chip Gibbons issued the following statement in response to today’s indictment:

“Any indictment of a journalist’s source or a whistleblower is an affront to the First Amendment. What makes this all the more chilling is that Courtney Williams spoke on the record to investigative reporter Seth Harp about sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the U.S. military. Based on unclear reasoning, the government then engaged in intrusive surveillance of her communications with Harp–including at least call records and contents of text messages. As we have long warned, the Espionage Act enables the surveillance of journalists even when they are not the target of a criminal investigation. The flimsy indictment appears to be based mostly on speculation, further suggesting that this is retaliation against a public critic of the U.S. military and an attempt to surveil a critical reporter. Congress must pass the Daniel Ellsberg Press Freedom and Whistleblower Protection Act immediately.”

Gibbons worked with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) on her introduction of the Daniel Ellsberg Press Freedom and Whistleblower Protection Act in the House last month. The bill would reform the abusive Espionage Act of 1917 to end its use against whistleblowers and journalists and allow for a public interest defense in court.