Obama's FBI investigated former CIA and NSA chief Michael Hayden for 'leaking classified information to the press about cyber attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities'

  • Obama administration investigated former CIA and NSA chief Michael Hayden  
  • Newly unsealed court filing shows that the FBI sought a search warrant for Hayden's AOL email account in November 2012  
  • The file shows that the FBI suspected Hayden of being a source for a New York Times article published on June 1, 2012
  • Article claimed that Barack Obama secretly ordered attacks on the computer systems that ran Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities

The Obama administration reportedly investigated former CIA and NSA chief Michael Hayden for leaking classified information to the press in 2012. 

A newly unsealed court filing, obtained by The Daily Beast, has revealed that the FBI sought a search warrant for Hayden's AOL email account. 

According to to the file, the FBI suspected Hayden of being a source for a New York Times article that was published on June 1, 2012. 

A newly unsealed court filing, obtained by The Daily Beast, has revealed that the FBI sought a search warrant for Hayden's AOL email account
Former president Barack Obama in 2016

The Obama administration reportedly investigated former CIA and NSA chief Michael Hayden (left in 2007) for leaking classified information to the press in 2012

The FBI suspected Hayden of being a source for a New York Times article that was published June 2012. The article claimed that former president Barack Obama secretly ordered attacks on the computer systems that ran Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities (pictured in 2008)

The FBI suspected Hayden of being a source for a New York Times article that was published June 2012. The article claimed that former president Barack Obama secretly ordered attacks on the computer systems that ran Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities (pictured in 2008)

The article claimed that former president Barack Obama secretly ordered sophisticated attacks on the computer systems that ran Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities.

Those attacks, which begun during the Bush administration in partnership with Israel, were code-named Olympic Games. 

The Stuxnet computer virus accidentally became public in 2010 because of a programming error that allowed it to escape Iran’s Natanz plant and sent it around the world on the Internet. 

According to the reports, the article confirmed suspicions that the US was partly responsible for the attack. The search warrant was filed in November 2012 and it was unsealed Monday.   

Asked over email if he'd previously known about the search warrant, Hayden wrote to the Daily Beast: 'I don't think they announce them.' He added a smiley face emoji.

Though Hayden was not cited as a source on the Olympic Games revelation in the Times article, but he was quoted on the significance of the Stuxnet virus. 

Those attacks were code-named Olympic Games. The Stuxnet computer virus accidentally became public in 2010 because of a programming error that allowed it to escape Iran’s Natanz plant (pictured) and sent it around the world on the Internet

Those attacks were code-named Olympic Games. The Stuxnet computer virus accidentally became public in 2010 because of a programming error that allowed it to escape Iran’s Natanz plant (pictured) and sent it around the world on the Internet

According to the Daily Beast, the FBI obtained transaction records for Hayden's (pictured in 2002) AOL email account that showed he'd exchanged email messages with David Sanger, who wrote the Times story, 10 times before and after the story
Cartwright pleaded guilty to a single count of lying to the FBI in 2016

Transaction records for Hayden's (pictured in 2002) AOL email account showed he'd exchanged email messages with David Sanger, who wrote the Times story. But the FBI tracked the story to retired Marine Gen James Cartwright (right)

'This is the first attack of a major nature in which a cyber attack was used to effect physical destruction,' Hayden said at the time.

Hayden's name and email address are redacted from the unsealed filing, but the case is captioned with Hayden's AOL email address. It's unclear if the warrant was ever granted.  

According to the Daily Beast, the FBI obtained transaction records for Hayden's AOL email account that showed he'd exchanged email messages with David Sanger, who wrote the Times story, 10 times before and after the story.

That information was used to obtain the entire contents of Hayden's AOL account., but the FBI found no evidence that Hayden did anything wrong. 

Using similar tactics, the bureau tracked the story to retired Marine Gen James Cartwright, who pleaded guilty to a single count of lying to the FBI in 2016.  

Obama pardoned Cartwright shortly before leaving office. 

Hayden served as the director of the NSA from 1999 to 2005 and later led the CIA until he retired in 2009.  

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