He did not enter a plea and was released on several conditions, including that he turn in his passport, travel only in Maryland and, for legal proceedings, in the District of Columbia, and that not make unauthorized disclosures of classified information. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday in federal court in the District of Columbia.

Mr. Wolfe, a former Army intelligence analyst, stopped performing committee work in December and retired in May.

He worked closely with both Democrats and Republicans in a bipartisan fashion for more than 30 years on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which oversees the F.B.I., the C.I.A. and the National Security Agency, and their secretive operations.

The committee’s staff follows strict rules for the handling of delicate, and often classified, information for one of the most tightly secured committees in Congress. Mr. Wolfe would have been responsible for enforcing those rules. The committee is also conducting its own investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and possible ties to the Trump campaign. As part of that, the committee has reviewed reams of classified materials related to the election meddling and met with current and former Trump aides.

The investigation of Mr. Wolfe came to light this week after the committee said that it was cooperating with the Justice Department “in a pending investigation arising out of the unauthorized disclosure of information.”

“Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of democracy,” said Eileen Murphy, a Times spokeswoman. “This decision by the Justice Department will endanger reporters’ ability to promise confidentiality to their sources and, ultimately, undermine the ability of a free press to shine a much-needed light on government actions. That should be a grave concern to anyone who cares about an informed citizenry.”

Obtaining information a reporter’s records is considered an “extraordinary” measure that must be approved by top Justice Department officials, according to the guidelines for federal prosecutors. Per federal statute, agents must make “all reasonable attempts to obtain the information from alternative, non-media sources.”