Navy Nuclear Engineer Pleads Guilty in Submarine Spy Case

    Image copyright: West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority/AP [via Washington Post]

    The Facts

    • Jonathan Toebbe, a former nuclear engineer with the US Navy, pleaded guilty on Monday to trying to sell nuclear secrets to a foreign country.

    • Toebbe and his wife, Diana, were arrested in Oct. 2021 after allegedly attempting to "dead drop" classified documents at a pre-arranged location in West Virginia.


    The Spin

    Left narrative

    The Toebbes were a regular American couple, and their turn to treason and betrayal was a surprise for everyone. It can only be explained by a sense of disillusionment with US politics and years of economic hardship.

    Right narrative

    The Toebbes were both registered Democrats, and Diana Toebbe was a member of the liberal, radical feminist, anti-Trump "Resistance." They should have been charged with domestic terrorism, not just espionage.


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