Reality Winner’s Facebook page goes dark after being swarmed with hateful comments

The personal Facebook profile of Reality Winner, the 25-year-old federal contractor who has been charged with leaking classified information to a news outlet, disappeared to the public this week after being inundated with thousands of negative comments about her arrest.

Winner is suspected of leaking a classified document about Russian hacking in the 2016 presidential election to the online investigative site the Intercept and was arrested at her home in Augusta, Georgia, on Saturday. The Department of Justice released news of her arrest on Monday.

While Winner’s personal profile remained up in the days that followed, the comments on her public status updates became filled with hundreds of comments joking about her arrest. Some of the commenters had wished her harm, and others celebrated her arrest.

Winner’s Facebook page and her other social media pages indicated her support for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, her interest in environmental issues, her love of animals and her passion for fitness and yoga. In a number of posts, she had voiced her distaste for President Donald Trump.

It’s unclear whether Winner’s page was deleted entirely or if her privacy settings were changed to prevent continued posts from members of the public.