By Steve Neavling
A former FBI counterintelligence agent facing federal charges for leaking classified information is now running for Congress in Arizona.
Johnathan Buma, who accused the FBI of suppressing his investigations into Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, filed paperwork April 28 to run as a Democrat in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, the Arizona Republic reports. The seat is currently held by Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani.
Buma was arrested March 17 at JFK Airport in New York as he prepared to board an international flight. Federal prosecutors allege he printed more than 100 sensitive FBI files in October 2023 and began writing a book shortly after, sending drafts with confidential material to associates. He was released the next day on a $100,000 bond and ordered to undergo a substance abuse evaluation.
In a 2023 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Buma claimed the FBI blocked him from investigating Giuliani’s alleged ties to Russian-Ukrainian oligarch Pavlo Fuks and pressured him to focus instead on Hunter Biden’s ties to Burisma. He said the bureau retaliated against him after he filed internal complaints.
Buma has called himself “the most significant whistleblower in FBI history,” and his campaign filings describe him as an “Arizona native,” though they list an address in Prescott, outside the district.
He has declined to comment publicly on his candidacy.
