FBI Agent Admits in Court He Leaked Classified Info to Press

On Tuesday, former FBI agent Terry Albury pleaded guilty to charges of leaking classified information to the press. Albury was a member of FBI’s counterterrorism unit in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The former agent’s attorney claims that the bureau required from his team to profile and intimidate racial minorities across the state. In March, the Justice Department charged Albury with one count of leaking classified info “relating to national defense” to a national news organization.

In addition, the man was charged for refusing to give the documents about an online recruiting platform for terrorists to the government. Albury’s legal team claims that he leaked the files to the press because he saw no other “viable” way of addressing FBI’s “abuses.”

FBI Agent Tried to Protect Racial Minorities

The defense argued that the FBI is dominated by a “white male culture” which often disregards or treat with suspicion minority communities. It is worth noting that Albury was the only black FBI agent working in the Minneapolis office.

Albury, 39, reportedly sensed he had a moral duty to address problems within the FBI when it comes to racial minorities. Before pleading guilty in court on Tuesday, the former field operative was so soft spoken that the judge had to ask him to keep his voice up so she could hear him.

The man was charged in connection to leaking classified documents to a reporter from the online publication The Intercept. Another person was charged in that case.

In August, the FBI raided Albury’s office, truck and home and found evidence that he indeed handed over the documents to the news organization. The Intercept’s name was never mentioned in court documents, but the dates of the news outlet’s stories and the leaked files align.
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