Reality Winner Fundraiser Nets Nearly $15,000

AUGUSTA, GA — An online fundraiser for Reality Leigh Winner, a former government contractor from Georgia accused of leaking classified documents, has raised nearly $15,000 this week.

The campaign on crowdfunding site GoFundMe had raised $14,842 as of Thursday morning.

Started by Shirley J. Fink, of Fairfax, Virginia, the fundraising campaign is intended to pay for Winner's loss of wages, counseling, travel expenses for her and her family and other costs.

"This is a time to come together and unite in peace and hope and show the world LOVE ALWAYS WINS over hate!" Fink wrote. "Good resists even when evil persists!"

Winner, 25, was arrested by the FBI at her home on Saturday and appeared in federal court in Augusta, Georgia, on Monday.

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.

The fundraising effort for Winner, who worked for Pluribus International Corporation at a U.S. government agency facility in Georgia, has gotten some celebrity support.

Comedian and frequent Donald Trump sparring partner Rosie O'Donnell appears to have donated $1,000 to the cause. She has tweeted multiple times in support of Winner, whose backers say she didn't release any information harmful to the nation or government and should receive whistle-blower protections.

"Brave young patriot," O'Donnell wrote in a tweet with a link to the campaign.

On Wednesday, the mother of the former Air Force linguist said she fears Winner's case will be unfairly used to discourage other potential leakers due to "the political climate right now."

Billie Winner-Davis told The Associated Press that her daughter is not a flight risk if she's released from pre-trial confinement.

"I think they're going to try to make an example out of her because of the political climate right now," Winner-Davis said.

A hearing is scheduled Thursday to determine whether Winner will be released on bond pending trial.

"She's not a flight risk," Gary Davis, Winner's stepfather, told the AP. "Everybody in America knows what she looks like at this point. She's never ran away from anything in her life. She's not a violent person. She has no record. There's no reason to hold her."

On or about May 9, Winner allegedly printed and improperly removed classified intelligence reporting, which contained classified national defense information from an intelligence community agency, authorities claim. A few days later, Winner mailed the intelligence reporting to an online news outlet, which court documents do not name.

As the FBI searched her residence, Winner reportedly agreed to talk with agents and admitted identifying and printing the classified intelligence reporting at issue despite not having a "need to know." Officials say Winner also admitted taking the classified intelligence reporting from her office and mailing it to the news outlet.

“Releasing classified material without authorization threatens our nation’s security and undermines public faith in government. People who are trusted with classified information and pledge to protect it must be held accountable when they violate that obligation,” said Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein in a news release.

Previously, the American intelligence community has reported on extensive efforts by the Russian government to covertly influence popular sentiment during the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton and in favor of Donald Trump, most notably by releasing hacked emails from the Democratic National Convention and Clinton Campaign Chair John Podesta.

Multiple investigative bodies are currently examining these efforts, including possible collusion with the Trump campaign. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently denied that any such intelligence operations took place.

Photo via GoFundMe