Matt Sledge

2 weeks ago | theintercept.com | Matt Sledge

Both candidates for Virginia attorney general in Tuesday’s Democratic primary have much in common. They’ve both promised, for instance, to fight against Donald Trump and DOGE, and to protect abortion rights. When it comes to who is funding their campaigns, though, there’s one source of cash that marks a striking difference between the candidates: Dominion Energy, the Fortune 500 utility company that has long thrown around huge sums to shape politics in Virginia.

2 weeks ago | theintercept.com | Matt Sledge

When President Donald Trump threatened to send troops against the Black Lives Matter movement five years ago, some members of his own party offered guarded criticisms. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., then serving as the majority whip, said he opposed using the military. “I would prefer that these things be handled by the state and local authorities,” he said.

2 weeks ago | theintercept.com | Matt Sledge

A federal judge in Virginia sentenced the former CIA employee who leaked Israeli military secrets to three years and one month in prison on Wednesday, rejecting the government’s request for a much harsher term. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles said she had to balance the potential harm caused by Asif William Rahman’s disclosure of secret analyses of Israel’s plans for an attack on Iran against his swift decision to cooperate and plead guilty to two Espionage Act violations.

2 weeks ago | theintercept.com | Matt Sledge

A federal judge in Virginia sentenced the former CIA employee who leaked Israeli military secrets to three years and one month in prison on Wednesday, rejecting the government’s request for a much harsher term. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles said she had to balance the potential harm caused by Asif William Rahman’s disclosure of secret analyses of Israel’s plans for an attack on Iran against his swift decision to cooperate and plead guilty to two Espionage Act violations.

2 weeks ago | theintercept.com | Matt Sledge

Top U.S. Justice Department officials are worried that Asif William Rahman, a former CIA analyst who leaked reports about Israel’s plans for a strike on Iran, isn’t going to get a harsh enough sentence. That’s why, his defense lawyers said, the government is making an “unprecedented” request for Rahman to get a sentence 50 percent longer than the high end of what guidelines recommend — despite his cooperation with prosecutors.