CIA Officer Accused of Stealing $40Million Worth of Gold Bars Linked to Donald Trump's No. 2 at Pentagon
Ex CIA official David Rush, who has been accused of stealing gold bars, has close links with Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg.
June 1 2026, Published 12:20 p.m. ET
The high-level CIA official accused of stealing gold bars worth $40million has strong links to Donald Trump's deputy defense secretary, according to new claims.
RadarOnline.com can reveal FBI agents seized 303 gold bars from the home of former CIA official David Rush in Ashburn, Virginia, last week.
Close Ties to Steve Feinberg
Rush claims the gold was for 'work-related expenses.'
He claims the gold was for "work-related expenses" but was arrested and charged with theft of public money.
Agents also discovered $2million in U.S. cash and 35 luxury watches investigators reported, plus Rush, 49, is accused of forging his educational and military credentials.
He worked for the CIA for 17 years, and held a senior role in the agency’s Directorate of Science and Technology, which utilizes cutting-edge technology in intelligence investigations.
But now it’s been revealed Rush had a long professional relationship with the current Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, the billionaire Trump backer who founded private equity behemoth Cerberus Capital Management, as per CBS News.
Helped Support Rush's Career
Feinberg worked alongside Rush for a number of years.
Feinberg has long been interested in the intelligence community. He was chairman of Trump’s influential Intelligence Advisory Board, beginning in 2018, during the president's first term, and helped support Rush’s career over the years, according to NBC sources.
The men first met when Feinberg headed the board, which provides advice to the White House and spy agencies on intelligence collection.
Rush is currently in custody and will remain so until at least next week, when a court hearing is scheduled on charges that he filed fraudulent time sheets by falsely claiming he was a member of the Navy Reserve, according to court documents.
An ongoing investigation is expected to produce more serious charges.
FBI Investigated 'Potential Violations'
CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred Rush to the FBI.
A joint statement by the CIA and FBI three days ago said CIA Director John Ratcliffe had referred Rush's "potential violations" to the FBI for investigation, which resulted in his arrest.
"We are committed to following the facts, ensuring accountability, and pursuing justice in accordance with the law," the statement noted.
According to court documents, Rush asked for — and received — tens of millions of dollars in gold bars and foreign currency for "work-related expenses."
When the CIA conducted a review of where the assets were held, the agency was unable to locate them, according to the court papers, and a search was launched of Rush's home.
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Rush's alleged actions has sparked fears of a major cover-up.
Rush’s alleged years-long scheme and top-secret security clearance bow has those in the community questioning how he slipped through the fastidious vetting process — and who else may be flying under the radar amid talk of a huge “cover up.”
Former CIA staff operations officer Tracy Walder was baffled over the stunning allegations against Rush and believes they could point to a much more troubling issue within the agency.
Speaking to the New York Post, Walder said: "This would have been a large-scale lying cover-up. There would have had to be a lot of other co-conspiratorial. They are going to go back at least 10 years in terms of people you know, people you are friends with. He would have had to ask all those people to lie for him. Or did he lie to them?"
