WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former security chief for the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee was sentenced on Thursday to two months in jail for lying to investigators about his contacts with journalists.

James Wolfe, 58, pleaded guilty in October to a charge that he lied to the FBI about contacts that he had with reporters. At the time, prosecutors indicated that two further counts of making false statements would later be dismissed.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., handed down the prison sentence at a hearing, although leading intelligence committee Republicans and Democrats both wrote to the court urging leniency.

Wolfe was not accused of leaking classified materials. However, in pleading guilty, he acknowledged that he did share non-public information with a reporter using Signal, an encrypted internet application, regarding a witness who had been subpoenaed to appear before the Intelligence Committee.

Wolfe is one of several government officials to face prosecution by recent U.S. administrations for media leaks. Other convicted leakers have recently received considerably longer prison sentences.