Former FBI Analyst Sentenced to Prison for Keeping Classified Docs in Bathroom

An ex-FBI intelligence analyst was sentenced to nearly four years in prison this week for keeping hundreds of classified materials in the bathroom of her Dodge City, Kansas home, the Department of Justice announced.

The case bodes poorly for former President Donald Trump, who was arrested on June 13 under similar circumstances: He, too, was found to be storing classified materials in a bathroom of his Palm Beach club. Other documents were found in an unsecured ballroom and storage room.

Kendra Kingsbury, 50, pleaded guilty to two counts of willfully retaining classified national defense information, the same part of the Espionage Act that Trump has been charged with violating. Trump was charged with 31 counts, along with obstruction of justice and conspiracy.

"I cannot fathom why you would jeopardize our nation by leaving these types of documents in your bathtub," U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Bough told Kingsbury, per the Kansas City Star.

An FBI agent had testified that Kingsbury left both electronic and physical copies of classified documents in her office, bathroom, and other parts of her home. The seized documents reportedly contained intelligence related to cyber threats and counterterrorism, including information about Al Qaeda associates in Africa.

Kingsbury had also reportedly made several suspicious calls to the subjects of counterterrorism operations, but the FBI hasn't determined the reason for the calls.

"I am guilty of being too honest without a safety net," Kingsbury reportedly said in court. She voluntarily came forward about the unsecured documents because she believed the FBI was surveilling her, an allegation the agency disputes.

The violation of the Espionage Act Trump Kingsbury was charged with carries a punishment of up to 10 years in prison, while other counts call for up to 20, according to the Associated Press.

Authorities continue to investigate both President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence's handling of classified documents stored at each of their private residences. In contrast to the Trump case, both Biden and Pence appeared unaware that they were in possession of such materials and willingly returned them.

In 2019, a former National Security Agency contractor was sentenced to nine years in prison for storing decades worth of materials in his Maryland home. And earlier this month, a former Air Force intelligence officer was sentenced to three years after he moved more than 300 classified documents from authorized locations into his home and other unauthorized locations.

Kingsbury, whose sentence begins on July 21, will spend three years and 10 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.