Accused RCMP leaker tells of clandestine operation, moles inside law enforcement
OTTAWA — A former RCMP official accused of leaking secrets says he was actually conducting a clandestine intelligence operation — one that had to be kept ultra-quiet due to moles within Canadian law enforcement.
Cameron Jay Ortis testified in Ontario Superior Court that he was trying to deceive investigative targets into using a new, supposedly secure email service that would allow intelligence officials access to their private communications.
Reporters and the general public were excluded from the courtroom for Ortis’s testimony last week, but transcripts have now been released.
The Crown says Ortis anonymously sent classified material in 2015 to people who were of investigative interest to the RCMP.