DAY 312.2 | leaks

A 21-year-old US Air Force National Guard employee has been arrested over the leak of highly sensitive US defence and intelligence documents. Jack Teixeira is reported to be the leader of an online gaming chat group in Discord (a social media platform popular with gamers) where the files leaked in recent months.

THE PATHS OF GLORY

To the left:

22-year-old American soldier Edward Wilton who has been killed in battle against the Russian Army in Bakhmut. R.I.P.

To the right:

21-year-old Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira who allegedly leaked and shared secret defense and intelligence documents with online gamers to the benefit of the Russian Army.

(Source: Volodymyr Omelyan, @V_Omelyan, Politician, Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine in 2016-2019, joined the Army in February 24, 2022, and fights Russians since childhood.)

Jack Teixeira faces years in prison if convicted of charges he's facing over his suspected connection to the disclosure of dozens of secret documents that revealed sensitive intelligence and defense information.

What do prosecutors allege Teixeira did with that clearance access?

A highly sensitive government document posted on a social media platform was accessible to Teixeira because of his work for the Air National Guard, the affidavit says. According to a U.S. federal agency, which has access to logs of documents he accessed, the 21-year-old accessed a government document in February 2023, about one day before a contact of Teixeira's reposted the information on the internet, according to the affidavit. 

That contact told the FBI the information he reposted was originally posted on a server by an individual the FBI believes to be Teixeira. The FBI affidavit even says Teixeira used his government computer to search classified intelligence reports for the word "leak." 

What prison sentence might Teixeira face?

If convicted, Teixeira was told in his court appearance Friday that he could face up to 15 years in prison. The first charge, for unlawful retention and transmission of national defense information, carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, and the other, unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents, could mean up to five years in prison. 

Source: CBS News, April 14, 2023

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