NEW YORK: A New York Times reporter and self-confessed fan of the political drama , The House of Cards, is under scrutiny over the first known leak investigation of the Trump administration, the Australian newspaper reported on Monday.

According to the newspaper, the New York Times is itself investigating the activities of Ali Watkins, whio is facing accusations by President Donald Trump’s allies of swapping sex for secrets while being used by a much older man to advance an anti-Trump agenda.

The report identified “the man at the centre of the investigation” as James Wolfe, a former intelligence committee aide.

The news of the seizure of Watkins’s records surfaced when Wolfe, 57, was arrested and charged with lying to investigators about his contacts with three reporters, including Watkins, 26.

Wolfe’s case is the first known instance of the Justice Department seizing a reporter’s data under the Trump administration, the newspaper said.

(Back in April 2013, Watkins posted a tweet: “I wanted to be Zoe Barnes … until episode 4. Sleeping with your source …#badlifechoice”), a reference to the plot of House of Cards.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Wolfe pleaded not guilty on three counts of lying to FBI agents working on a leak investigation.

He has not been charged with unlawfully disclosing classified information. Trump had said the arrest of Wolfe “could be a terrific thing”, and stressed that “you cannot leak classified information”.

Trump’s supporters have accused the pair of trading sex and secrets to spread anti-Trump stories.

After Wolfe’s arrest, fans went back to Watkins tweet to respond, with some posting pictures of Wolfe.

Watkins and Wolfe had an extended personal relationship that ended last year.

Ali Watkins joined the New York Times in Dece­m­ber after her relationship with Wolfe ended. She told the paper about the relationship when she was hired, according to the Times.

She has said that Wolfe did not provide her with information during the course of their relationship.

“Wolfe was one of the highest-ranking aides on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which Watkins covered extensively at Politico, BuzzFeed News, The Huffington Post and the McClatchy, where she started as an intern in 2013,” the newspaper said.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2018