A U.S. Army Special Operations veteran named Courtney Williams faces federal charges for allegedly passing classified military tactics and procedures to journalist Seth Harp’s 2025 book about Fort Bragg. Williams was indicted on Wednesday, April 8, after allegedly providing confidential information to Harp.
The complaint alleges that Williams signed a Confidential Information Nondisclosure Agreement when he was hired in 2010 and when he left in 2015, WRAL News reported. The criminal complaint details communications between Williams and reporters but does not name Harp. However, Harp wrote a book and an accompanying article that highlighted Williams throughout.
Williams spent at least 10 hours on the phone with Harper, the complaint said. Between 2022 and 2024, she exchanged approximately 180 text messages with him.
A message from Harp discussed the data exchange: “Just wanted to let you know I dropped this in the mail today for a thumb drive. It’s stamped and addressed and can be sent back, no need to go to the post office!”
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Williams reportedly saved files on her computer titled “Reporters Batch 1,” “Reporters Batch 2.” Williams plans to share at least 10 batches of documents with Harp, including personnel files from her time in the Special Military Units (SMU).
During a review of the article during the investigation, the complaint said it “determined that the article contained information that was properly classified as secret.”
It added that “the classified information includes, in part, the specific tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) used by this (SMU) to conduct sensitive missions.”
Who is Seth Happ?
As an investigative journalist and foreign correspondent, Harp writes about the intersection of armed conflict and organized crime. He is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine and has reported in countries such as Iraq. SyriaHarper’s, The New Yorker, The Intercept and the Columbia Journalism Review in Mexico, Ukraine and elsewhere. He has also written for The New York Times and The Texas Observer.
Harp practiced law for five years before entering journalism, New America reported. He served as Assistant Attorney General of Texas. He even served in the U.S. Army Reserves during college and law school, including one tour of duty in Iraq. He lives in Austin, Texaswhere he was born and raised.
“Courtney Williams is a courageous whistleblower and truth teller,” Harp said in a statement about the charges against Williams, WRAL News reported. “Courtney Williams is a courageous whistleblower and truth teller. The former Delta Force operator discloses ‘defense information’ on podcasts and YouTube shows every day, but the only reason the government is going after Courtney is because she exposed sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the force. This is an act of vindictive retaliation, plain and simple.”
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Harp’s book, “The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder among Special Forces,” was published in August 2025. The book recounts Williams’ experiences with sexual harassment and discrimination during her eight years with Delta Force, an elite counterterrorism force based at Fort Bragg. It often operates in secret.
The book was released with an article in Politico that included excerpts from the book. Williams reportedly texted him saying she was concerned about the article.
“Aside from some factual errors, I am certainly concerned about the amount of confidential information that has been disclosed. I think I am telling you things to give you a better understanding [SMU] Websites set up or operated will not be made public, and it feels like the entire TTP was issued in my name, giving them an opportunity to legally persecute me, and possibly [Person 1],” Williams wrote.
After Williams was terminated, he filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She later received a settlement, she told Harp, “enough to North Carolina“.
