Virginia — A Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) employee has been arrested and charged with attempting to leak classified information to a foreign government, motivated by what authorities describe as personal political frustration with President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Nathan Villas Laatsch, who worked in the DIA’s Insider Threat Division—ironically, a unit tasked with identifying potential leakers—allegedly tried to provide sensitive material to what he believed was a “friendly foreign government.”
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“The recent actions of the current administration are extremely disturbing to me,” Laatsch wrote in an email cited in an FBI affidavit. “I do not agree or align with the values of this administration and intend to act to support the values that the United States at one time stood for.”
The FBI intercepted the email and launched a covert operation. Agents posed as representatives of the foreign country and communicated with Laatsch, eventually arranging an in-person meeting where he handed over classified documents. He was arrested Thursday in northern Virginia.
Court documents reveal that Laatsch expressed a desire to seek citizenship in the unnamed country, citing deteriorating conditions in the U.S. as his reason. He told agents, “I do not see the trajectory of things changing, and do not think it is appropriate or right to do nothing when I am in this position.”
Laatsch now faces serious federal charges, and a court appearance is scheduled in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday.
FBI Director Kash Patel responded to the arrest in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating:
“This case underscores the persistent risk of insider threats. The FBI remains steadfast in protecting our national security and thanks our law enforcement partners for their critical support.”
The investigation is ongoing. The DOJ has not disclosed which foreign government Laatsch attempted to contact.
