FBI agent who accused agency of political bias arrested at New York airport
A veteran FBI agent who blew the whistle on alleged political bias during Donald Trump's first presidency was arrested at New York's JFK airport moments before boarding an international flight.
Johnathan Buma, a 15-year counterintelligence officer and eventual whistleblower, now faces charges of illegally disclosing classified information through a prospective tell-all book about his career.
Federal prosecutors allege Buma systematically harvested confidential materials from the bureau's internal systems, printing approximately 130 files clearly marked with security warnings in October 2023 before going on leave.
He allegedly shared draft portions of a book manuscript via email that contained information about 'the FBI's efforts and investigations into a foreign country's weapons of mass destruction ('WMD') program', the filing reads.
During a Brooklyn federal court hearing on Tuesday, Buma was released on $100,000 bail, though the case will be handled in California federal court. He has not entered a plea.
The investigation into the FBI agent began during the Biden administration, when his home was raided in late 2023.
That year, Buma told Business Insider about what he described as differential treatment of politically sensitive cases. He described an incident during which he allegedly presented information about potential criminal actions involving Hunter Biden and Ukrainian energy company Burisma to a supervisor at the Los Angeles field office – prompting his boss to advance the case. Then when he went to raise concerns in the same meeting that former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani might have been compromised in a Russian counter-influence operation, Buma says his superior moved to immediately dismiss the matter altogether.
In a semi-redacted statement to the Senate in 2023, Buma explained how he was 'at my wits end' and filed a whistleblower complaint in January 2022 alleging 'numerous acts of intelligence suppression' related to his reporting on foreign intelligence matters. The complaint also claimed he faced retaliation for voicing his concerns, and he filed an Equal Employment Opportunities complaint later that year.
Following the October 2023 raid on Buma's home, his attorney Scott Horton denied any wrongdoing and claimed no classified information was found.
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