Full Release - IRmep

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"s~cret information to an IsraQdiPlomat inWashington.
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The Justice Department statement says that a search 6fFranklin's Pentagon office in-June
2004found the June 2003 classified document containing the information that Franklin
allegedly disclosed to the two individuals.
The criminal co~plaint against Franklin also alleges that on other occasions he disclosed,
without authorization, classified American government infonnation to a foreign official and
to members of the news media. Inaddition, according to the Justice Department statement,
about 83 separate classified American government documents were found during a search
of Franklin's West Virginia home in June 2004, most ofthem classified as top secret or
secret.
The dates ofthese documents spanned three decades.
The investigation into this matter is continping, the Justice Department stated.
The charges against Franklin disclose several other new details:
.
• According to an FBI affidavit that accompanies the charges, Franklin admitted during an
FBI interrogation inJune 2004 that he provided the information contained in the secret
document to the two individuals.
• The information that Franklin is charged with disclosing is related not to Iran - contrary
to previous reports - but. to "potential attacks upon U.S. forces in Iraq."The government's
main concern, according to the FBI affidavit, is that such information could be used to harm
the-United States by "a country's discovery of our intelligence sources and methods."
• Contrary to previous media reports, charges against Franklin do notallege the transfer ofa
secret document. Instead itis charged that he "verbally disclosed" information that "was
contained" inatop-secret document. The distinction is important, legal experts say, because
verbally transferring such information is a less serious offense.
• The documentin question, according to the affidavit, was marked "on the first and last
pages with a caption in all capital letters,II which identified it as "TOP SECRET with a
denomination ofits SCI [Sensitive Compartment Information] status" - the highest
security classification. .
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