The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 8th, 2024: Army Soldier Caught Selling US Military Secrets & US Embassy Warns Of Imminent Terror Plot In Moscow

Episode Date: March 8, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     An active-duty Army intelligence analyst was recently nabbed by federal authorities for selling American secrets to China in a lucrative scheme that went on for more than a year. We’ll discuss a foiled ISIS terrorist plot to target a synagogue in Moscow, which comes as the U.S. embassy in Russia warned Americans overseas about the risk of an imminent extremist attack. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's Friday, 8 March. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, an active duty army intelligence analyst was recently arrested by federal authorities for selling American secrets to China in a lucrative scheme that went on for more than a year. And honestly, it's hard to imagine that the Chinese regime would be in the business of economic espionage. Also, we'll discuss a foiled ISIS terrorist plot to target a synagogue in Moscow, which comes as the U.S. embassy in Russia,

warned Americans overseas about the risk of imminent extremist attacks. But first, our afternoon spotlight. I want to begin with the story of an Army intelligence officer who was caught selling sensitive American military secrets to suspected CCP agents in China. And when I say suspected, I mean, yeah, definitely CCP intel agents. In a federal indictment unsealed on Thursday, prosecutors alleged that Sergeant Corbyn Shultz,

an active-duty Army soldier, spent more than a year passing documents related to U.S. weapons systems, missile defense systems, and the U.S.'s defense strategy regarding Taiwan, to a contact in Hong Kong. That's according to an exclusive CBS News report. Sergeant Schultz, and no relation to the legendary Sergeant Schultz from Hogan's Heroes, was arrested on Thursday at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. He allegedly began communicating online with the unnamed contact over an encrypted messaging application in June of 20, where he was told to transmit, quote, original and exclusive documents to the contact.

Schultz appears to have delivered his contact a treasure trove of U.S. secrets, including information about U.S. hypersonic missile equipment, documents on China's military preparedness, studies on the future deployment of U.S. troops, and even information on Russia's war in Ukraine. Now, we should stress that federal prosecutors did not officially name the Chinese government in the scheme, or identify the contact in Hong Kong. However, they pointed out that many of the documents that were sold pertained to China. So, how much was selling out his country worth? Well, prosecutors estimate that over the course of the trader's activities, he collected roughly, get this, $42,000. Yes, Sergeant Schultz's price tag for committing treason was $42,000.

dollars. Shultz was apparently an eager participant, telling the contact in one message that he, quote, wished he could be Jason Bourne. Oh, good God. In another message, where his contact promised him more money for his continued cooperation, Schultz responded, quote, I hope so, I need to get my other BMW back. Well, at least he's got his priorities in order. Shultz, who used his top secret security clearance to download the classified U.S. government records, was charged Thursday with six counts, including conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information and bribery. The 24-year-old continued to operate his scheme right up until his arrest on Thursday. Now, Larissa Knapp, a member of the FBI's national security branch, said, quote,

The conduct, alleged in today's indictment, represents a grave betrayal of the oath sworn to defend our country. Instead of safeguarding national defense information, the defendant conspired with a foreign national to sell it, potentially in day. majoring our national security. As we've previously discussed on the PDB, China operates extensive networks of spies and hackers in their efforts to access American intelligence and military secrets. The sale of classified information,

likely to someone affiliated with the Chinese intelligence apparatus, comes at a time of heightened tensions between China and the U.S., and this latest revelation likely won't do much to improve the relationship. All right, coming up after the break. We'll discuss a foiled ISIS terrorist plot to target a synagogue in Moscow, which was followed by a warning by U.S. officials of imminent attacks in Moscow by extremist groups. I'll be right back. Crispy chicken sandwich from 7-Eleven, people always call me loud. And I'm like, yeah, I know.

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Krispy, saucy, and $4? Very. Only at 711. Valley 36, 2326, participating stores only while supplies last the app for full terms. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Shifting gears, the U.S. embassy in Russia is warning that there is a high risk of an extremist attack in Moscow this weekend. U.S. officials did not elaborate on the specific nature of the threat, but advised any Americans in the Russian capital to avoid large gains. gatherings and to be hyper-vigilant of their surroundings over the next 48 hours. In a statement on

Thursday, the U.S. Embassy said they are, quote, monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow to include concerts, end quote. Notably, the warning came just hours after Russia's FSB security service thwarted a planned attack by an Afghan-linked Islamic state terrorist cell operating in central Russia's Kaluga region. Russian officials said the ISIS-affiliated group planned to slaughter Jewish worshippers at a synagogue in Moscow using firearms. Russian authorities reportedly neutralized the group during a raid on the cell's headquarters on Thursday. During the operation, Russian agents engaged in a brief firefight with the militants, killing several. FSP officials said that inside they found, quote, firearms, ammunition,

as well as components for creating improvised explosive devices. Given the timing of the raid, it would be relatively logical to assume the planned attack on the synagogue is related to the U.S. Embassy's warning. However, it's not clear if there is a link. We should also note that the U.S. Embassy's warning came several hours after the FSB announced the foiled plot. It's worth remembering that tensions have been running very high between Russia's Muslim and Jewish communities since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict. In one chaotic example of the discord, a mob of hundreds of protesters in the Muslim majority region of Dagestan, stormed an airport after a plane arrived from Tel Aviv last October, injuring dozens and forcing authorities

to shut down the airport. ISIS cells also remain active throughout the country. Just last weekend, FSB agents killed six ISIS terrorists during an operation in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Friday 8 March. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And be sure to check out our new premium membership at PDB Premium.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back on Monday. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.