Treasonous Techie Tries to Spill Secrets, Gets Snagged by FBI

Here we go again with another genius thinking they can play spy games and not get caught. 

Nathan Laatsch, a 28-year-old IT geek at the Defense Intelligence Agency, decided he didn’t “agree or align” with the Trump administration’s values and thought the best way to stick it to 'the man' was to try peddling classified information to a foreign government. 

According to the DOJ, Laatsch, who’s been a DIA employee since 2019 with a top-secret clearance, got nabbed in Virginia on Thursday after the FBI got a tip back in March 2025. Apparently, this guy was itching to share “completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence, and other assorted classified documentation” because, you know, he’s got a beef with the current administration. 

Shades of Edward Snowden.

The FBI, doing what they do best, set up a sting operation. Laatsch thought he was chatting up a foreign agent, but surprise, it was an FBI undercover operative. 

Over multiple conversations, he bragged about transcribing classified info onto a notepad at his desk like he’s auditioning for a bad spy movie. The DOJ says he smuggled the stuff out of his workspace over three days, perhaps thinking he was saving the world.

The feds arranged a drop-off at a park in northern Virginia, because nothing screams “covert” like a public park, right? On or around May 1, the geek dropped a thumb drive loaded with a message and documents marked Secret and Top Secret. His note was a cocky little boast about providing “a decent sample size” of classified goodies to show off what he could access. 

By May 7, after the thumb drive was “retrieved,” Laatsch, got greedy, hinting he wanted something in return. The next day, he laid it out: “citizenship for your country” because he’s not optimistic about America’s future. Oh, and he’s “not opposed to other compensation” but doesn’t need “material compensation.” So it appears the dude has principles, but he’s not above a little side hustle.

From May 15 to May 27, he kept at it, scribbling more secrets and sneaking them out by stuffing notes in his clothes like a kid hiding candy. Finally, on Thursday, he showed up at another prearranged drop spot, ready to hand over the goods. The FBI swooped in causing him to soil his skivvies, and now he's cooling his heels, facing a court date on Friday in the Eastern District of Virginia.

I suspect he'll be losing his top secret clearance and probably his freedom as well.

Look, we all know that politics can make people lose their minds. But going full Benedict Arnold because you don’t vibe with the administration? That’s a special kind of stupid. 

Laatsch thought he was outsmarting everyone, but all he did was gift-wrap his future for the feds. Maybe next time, stick to angry Reddit threads, pal.

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Hillary lets Pagliano "Plead the Fifth"

The flags don't make him innocent

Bryan Pagliano is an I.T. expert. He worked as an IT director on Hillary Clinton's failed 2008 campaign and helped set up her private, unsecured, email server that the FBI has put in protective custody in light of the breach of State Department protocol and government regulations. 

A government employee is not allowed to use a private server to send and/or receiving classified information, and in general, only a secure government server is recommended for all business emails. Hillary had only the private server and lied repeatedly about how she used it.

Pagliano says he will invoke his Fifth Amendment right to avoid testifying against Hillary Clinton, reports Fox News, but the actual purpose of the Fifth Amendment is to allow a man or a woman to not have to testify against him- or herself, not their boss.

The Clinton aide was asked by the House Select Committee on Benghazi to testify about the server, as well as the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Mark MacDougall, Mr. Pagliano's attorney, explained in a letter about his client's decision. "While we understand that Mr. Pagliano's response to this subpoena may be controversial in the current political environment, we hope that the members of the Select Committee will respect our client's right to invoke the protections of the Constitution," he wrote.

Pagliano was subpoenaed by the Benghazi committee on August 11th and the committee chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) ordered Pagliano appear for questioning on September 10th, and demanded he provide documents related to all servers or computer systems controlled or owned by Mrs. Clinton between 2009 and 2013.

Upon receipt of Rep. Gowdy's demand, Mr. Pagliano summarily wet his pants.

Pagliano was asked to oversee the installation of Clinton's [secret] server to handle her correspondence as secretary of state. He was paid by a political action committee tied to Hillary until April 2009, when hired by the State Department as an IT specialist.

Pagliano left government disservice in February 2013 and now works for a contractor that provides tech services to the State Department. 

"I do what I want"

The Benghazi committee's ranking Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md) huffed and puffed that Gowdy subpoenaed Pagliano unilaterally in order to make Hillary look like a lying, incompetent, stale air bagel (see Urban Dictionary). 

However, Ms. Clinton's competence is actually being a lying, incompetent, stale air bagel. 

Although Clinton has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, isn't using a private server to do State Department business, whether classified or not [and if you think not, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you] absolute proof of her incompetence as a high-ranking government official?

What's most revealing about Hillary's character is her ability to allow others to "slow down the bus" with their their bodies before it rolls over hers.

Imagine how the Russians, North Korea and the Chinese are hoping she gets elected president. I even know an Ayatollah who has his bloody fingers crossed.


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