Former CIA agent candidate who was doxxed by GOP thinks Dems may not run after what happened to her

In an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, a former CIA agent running for Congress as a Democrat whose security clearance application was inappropriately leaked to a GOP opposition research firm explained updates to her scandal — and why it matters.

Responding to the Postal Service's claim that her security clearance application was given to the opposition research firm and later to a Paul Ryan-linked super-PAC, candidate Abigail Spanberger said that the explanation "doesn't change that it was released in violation of the Privacy Act."

"I am incredibly disappointed that this human error which resulted in a violation of law so profoundly impacted me — but I'm glad that this came to light," Spanberger continued.

The candidate then reiterated an additional detail revealed in a New York Times article published earlier in the day — that a firm she hired for her campaign filed a Freedom of Information Act request in December 2017 but still hasn't heard back.

In contrast, the opposition research group that later released information from her unredacted clearance application appeared to have gotten the information in under a month.

Later in the interview, Spanberger suggested that although she's part of a "national wave" of candidates with military and national security backgrounds running for office as Democrats, it's possible some may be deterred after her doxxing.

"You expect to be hit with a couple of attacks here and there but this is beyond the pale," the candidate said. "And what it does, and what it signals to anyone who filled out an SF-86, the national security questionnaire — I think there's probably people around the country taking pause of what might happen with the information they thought was safe."

Nevertheless, "many of us are running because we want to stand up for what is right and get this country on track and be part of changing not just the tone in Washington but also the principles of right and wrong," Spanberger said.

Watch below, via MSNBC: