NSA Leak Suspect Thought Being 'White And Cute' Would Help: Prosecutors

AUGUSTA, GA — The 25-year-old Georgia woman accused of leaking classified government documents thought being "white and cute" would help her in court, federal prosecutors said.

Reality Leigh Winner, a former Air Force linguist and government contractor, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday on one count of count of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. Prosecutors said more charges are likely forthcoming.

In an Augusta, Georgia, courtroom, Winner pleaded not guilty.

During the hearing, federal prosecutors said recordings of a jailhouse phone conversation with her sister showed Winner discussing ways to manipulate her upcoming court appearances in her favor,

WSB-TV reported.

"I’m pretty, white and cute," Winner said to her sister, according to prosecutors. They claimed she told her sister she planned to braid her hair and cry in court and asked that $30,000 from her bank account be transferred to their mother so she could qualify for a court-appointed attorney.

Prosecutors said written materials seized from Winner's home revealed her praising the Taliban and saying she wanted to "burn the White House down," WSB reported.

A federal magistrate judge denied bond for Winner Thursday afternoon.

Family and supporters of Winner paint a dramatically different picture than prosecutors. Her stepfather, Gary Davis, described her as a patriot who would have been no flight risk had she been released on bond.

On Facebook late Thursday, Winner's mother, Billie Winner-Davis, referred to the hearing as "very tough."

"The prosecution did an amazing job of twisting every single detail of her life to portray her as a terrorist," Winner-Davis wrote. "We will continue to fight. The good will win. God bless all."

Winner was arrested by the FBI at her home on Saturday. A criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Georgia charges her with removing classified material from a government facility and mailing it to a news outlet.

Online news site The Intercept posted a story Monday afternoon that says Russian government hackers may have directly targeted an election-voting software company as well as election officials during last year's presidential campaign.

After leaving the Air Force, Winner worked for Pluribus International Corporation, a government contractor. It was there she is alleged to have taken the classified documents.

In court Thursday, prosecutors say Winner also put a removable thumb drive into a computer containing top-secret information while she was still in the service — though they gave no indication what may have been on the thumb drive and said they have no idea the drive's current whereabouts.

Winner's backers say the information she is alleged to have leaked, which would join a cavalcade of information suggesting Russian hackers tried to influence the outcome of the 2016 election, is not harmful to the nation in any way.

They argue that she should receive federal protection granted to whistle-blowers who share government information for the greater good.

An online fundraising campaign for Winner, on GoFundMe, had raised nearly $30,000 as of Friday afternoon.

Photo via GoFundMe