Global Courant 2023-04-14 16:43:16
Sean Hannity: How bad is the Pentagon leak?
Fox News host Sean Hannity responds in Thursday’s opening monologue to the arrests of a Massachusetts Air National security guard in an investigation into the leak of classified documents and President Joe Biden’s leadership on the global stage.
Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old Air National Guardsman accused of leaking classified intelligence documents online in recent months, will appear in a Boston federal courtroom Friday morning, sources tell Fox News.
FBI agents arrested Teixeira Thursday without incident at his home in North Dighton, Massachusetts. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the young man is being investigated for “alleged unauthorized removal, retention and disclosure of classified national defense information”. He will make his first appearance in Massachusetts District Court sometime Friday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., according to a source at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Teixeira joined the Air National Guard in September 2019 and worked as a cybersecurity systems journeyman, a position in which he held the highest security clearance granted by the federal government for top secret information, according to an internal Defense Department e-mail that is reviewed by Fox News.
His security clearance and access to secret government systems have since been revoked, according to another internal government document.
WHO IS JACK TEIXEIRA, THE AIR NATIONAL GUARDSMEN WHO ARE BEHIND BEHIND LEAKED CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS?
Selfie of Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old National Guard aviator accused of leaking classified information. (Facebook)
Teixeira was last stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base in Cape Cod as a member of the 102nd Intelligence Wing. According to the unit, he was promoted to pilot first class in July.
Speaking to members of Thug Shaker Central, a panicked Teixeira seemed to know he was in trouble. One of the group members, using the screen name Vahki, told The New York Times that Teixeira sounded like he was in a speeding car the last time they spoke.
“Guys, it’s been good – I love you all,” Teixeira said, according to Vahki. “I never wanted it to be like this. I’ve prayed to God that this would never happen. And I’ve prayed and prayed and prayed. Only God can decide what happens from now on.”
Details of the leaked Pentagon documents were reported last week by The Washington Post, which obtained dozens of photos of classified intelligence briefings on Ukraine’s combat capabilities, information on the Ukrainian and Russian armies, and highly sensitive analysis on US allies and adversaries. , including China.
President Biden has said nothing leaked was “of major concern,” but White House national security spokesman John Kirby warned Wednesday: “We don’t know what else this person or persons have and may yet release. .”
“There is now highly sensitive classified information in the public domain, and that is simply unacceptable and could harm our national security,” Kirby said.
FBI ARRESTS MASSACHUSETTS AIR NATIONAL GUARDSMAN JACK TEIXEIRA IN PROBE OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT LEAKS
This image, taken from a WCVB-TV video, shows Jack Teixeira, in T-shirt and shorts, being taken into custody by armed tactical officers on Thursday, April 13, 2023 in Dighton, Massachusetts. (WCVB TV via AP)
The FBI began investigating Teixeira in connection with the leaks before Thursday, but was forced to accelerate their plans to arrest him after The New York Times identified him Thursday morning, a source briefed on the investigation told Fox News.
The report named Teixeira the leader of a Discord group called “Thug Shaker Central” that consisted of about 20 to 30 young men. Discord is an instant messaging social media platform popular with gamers – members of Thug Shaker Central are said to have bonded together during the pandemic playing video games, sharing memes and discussing guns.
Group members who spoke to the New York Times said Teixeria began posting classified documents in October, including detailed battle maps of the war in Ukraine labeled “TOP SECRET.” Between October and March, he reportedly posted about 350 documents on the group. His motivation seems to be to inform and impress his online friends with insider knowledge of happenings abroad.
The classified material began to circulate more widely after another member of the group posted several dozen documents to a public Discord chat called #War-Posting, according to the outlet. In April, classified US intelligence about Ukraine was posted to the Telegram messaging app by supporters of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
US defense officials previously told Fox News that the leak could be “bigger than Snowden” in terms of damage to intelligence and allied relations.
PENTAGON DOCUMENT LEAK IMMEDIATELY AFFECTS NATIONAL SECURITY: SUCKS A LOT OF OXYGEN
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. General Pat Ryder called the leaks “a deliberate criminal act”, and said distribution lists for classified information are under review.
“We entrust our members with a lot of responsibility at a very young age,” Ryder told reporters on Thursday.
“You’ve received training and you’re given an understanding of the rules and requirements that come with those responsibilities. And you’re expected to abide by those rules, regulations and responsibility. That’s called military discipline. And in certain cases, especially if it’s It’s about sensitive information, it’s also about the law.”
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Greg Norman, David Spunt, Liz Friden, Gillian Turner, Jake Gibson and Paul Best of Fox News contributed to this report.
Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.
