ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A former senior CIA official accused of stashing over $40 million worth of gold bars from the federal government at his Virginia home was ordered to remain jailed until his trial after a hearing Friday where a defense attorney accused prosecutors of smearing the official with “sensational,” irrelevant allegations.
The defendant, David J. Rush, has both the means and motive to flee while the case against him is pending, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick ruled, citing Rush's professional experience.
“He's in a different position than most people to flee and avoid detection by law enforcement,” Fitzpatrick said.
Rush is charged with fraudulently claiming tens of thousands of dollars in compensation for military leave after he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 2015. He was arrested last month after investigators searched his home and seized more than 300 gold bars, roughly $2 million in U.S. currency and about 35 luxury watches, according to an FBI agent's affidavit.
Rush's attorney, Jessica Carmichael, noted that Rush isn't charged with any crimes related to the discovery of the gold bars, which she referred to as “basically a non-issue” and “nothing more than a sensational tidbit.” She said Rush properly obtained the gold bars and kept them locked in a safe in his basement.
“Mr. Rush never claimed they were his,” she said.
Between last November and March, Rush requested and received a “significant quantity" of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for "work-related expenses,” according to the FBI affidavit. Justice Department prosecutor Gavin Tisdale said Rush wasn't supposed to have the gold bars at his home.
“That's the issue — his skirting of rules and regulations,” he said.
Tisdale briefly summarized the case against Rush in open court after a portion of the hearing was sealed from the public. The evidence against Rush “grows stronger by the day,” Tisdale told the magistrate.
“Mr. Rush simply cannot be trusted to abide by this court's conditions,” he said.
Rush enlisted in the Navy in 1997 and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy Reserves as a lieutenant in 2015, according to the affidavit.
Authorities claim Rush lied about his education and military background on job applications, falsely claiming to be a former Navy pilot who graduated with a bachelor's degree from Clemson University in South Carolina and a master's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.
Investigators determined that he didn't serve as a Navy pilot and didn't attend either school.
In this image provided and annotated by the Alexandria's Sheriff's Office, David J. Rush is seen in his booking photo in Alexandria, Va. (Alexandria Sheriff via AP)
FILE - The seal of the Central Intelligence Agency is displayed at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., April 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democrat Xavier Becerra advanced to the general election for California governor Friday after pitching himself as an experienced choice to lead the nation’s most populous state and succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Becerra leaned on his more than 35 years in public office — including as state attorney general and U.S. health secretary — to argue that he was the most qualified candidate in a crowded field.
“I am ready to lead the fight to uphold California’s promise to make sure we have the governance worthy of our gifts,” he said on election night.
It was not yet clear who Becerra will face in the general election. His top rivals came down to Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator backed by President Donald Trump, and Democrat Tom Steyer, a billionaire climate activist who poured $215 million of his own money into his campaign.
Born and raised in Sacramento by Mexican immigrant parents, Becerra has a wife and three daughters. He has said his family’s immigrant background mirrored his “underdog” gubernatorial campaign, in which he initially failed to garner substantial support before surging in the final months.
After one of the top Democratic contenders, Rep. Eric Swalwell, was accused of sexual assault and dropped out of the race, Becerra benefited from an opening to coalesce Democratic support. He quickly racked up key endorsements from labor groups and Latino legislative leaders.
Becerra has vowed to maintain the state’s mantle as a chief antagonist to President Donald Trump. As attorney general he filed more than 120 legal actions against the first Trump administration on everything from immigration to climate policy.
The president has also been in a spat with the state over its drawn-out vote count. Trump made baseless claims mass fraud Thursday, and on Friday federal prosecutors said they opened investigations into allegations of election fraud. Hilton called for California to limit mail ballots to those who request them, rather sending them to all registered voters.
During the campaign Becerra's rivals scrutinized his leadership as health secretary during the COVID-19 pandemic and unaccompanied migrant children crisis in 2021, when Becerra’s Department of Health and Human Services was responsible for shelters where they were housed. Some of them were criticized as having inadequate living conditions, and there were also concerns about authorities failing to thoroughly vet sponsors with whom some children were placed.
If elected, Becerra said, he would declare states of emergency to address high energy costs and housing shortages and to freeze home insurance rates.
Though California is one of the nation’s most diverse states, almost all its governors have been white men. Becerra would be the first Latino to hold the office since the late 1800s.
Newsom was barred by term limits from seeking a third stint in office.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer speaks during his election night watch party in San Francisco on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton speaks during an election night event Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra speaks during an election night event Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
