A Massachusetts Air National Guard member, now facing charges for leaking sensitive military documents, had been cautioned numerous times by his superiors about handling classified data, revealing a Wednesday court filing.
The revelations were disclosed in court documents by Justice Department attorneys, urging a presiding magistrate judge to hold Jack Teixeira in custody while he awaits his trial for what is considered the most significant intelligence leak in recent years. The judge is expected to deliberate further on the prosecutors’ request for detention this Friday before delivering a decision.
Teixeira is charged with divulging top-secret documents on critical national security matters in a Discord chatroom primarily used by gamers. He has yet to plead to the charges.
Prosecutors disclosed in their filing that despite warnings from his superiors about his troubling behaviour regarding classified data, Teixeira continued to leak documents. The signs happened twice last year.
A memo from the Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing, filed in court by prosecutors in September, reported Teixeira taking notes on classified intelligence data and pocketing them. Following this incident, he was instructed not to take notes on classified intelligence data.
Another October memo indicated a senior official was aware of Teixeira potentially disregarding the previous month’s order to stop delving into intelligence information. Despite being told to focus on his work and refrain from deep diving into classified intelligence data, Teixeira continued to ask specific questions in a meeting.
A third February memo reported Teixeira accessing unrelated information about intelligence, despite earlier instructions to concentrate on his professional duties and refrain from seeking intelligence products.
“Despite repeated warnings, the defendant continued to share data online, ignoring admonitions and further concealing his illegal actions,” wrote the prosecutors.
These disclosures have sparked inquiries about why military officials did not intervene further and why Teixeira maintained access to classified data despite repeated warnings.
Teixeira’s attorneys, whose client was arrested last month under the Espionage Act, are appealing for his release to his father’s residence. They highlighted that Teixeira didn’t abscond when media began circulating his name just before his arrest on April 13th. His counsel assured the judge last month that Teixeira is ready to face the charges and be judged by his peers.
Teixeira’s attorneys also noted in their filing that numerous Espionage Act cases resulted in pretrial release or the government did not insist on detention. They also stated that there are no allegations Teixeira intended to distribute the documents broadly.
However, the prosecutors argued in their filing that one of the social media servers where Teixeira posted the classified information had at least 150 users when the data was shared and may now have many more users actively trying to access the data.
“Several individuals, who claimed to be from foreign countries and accessed the platform using overseas IP addresses, were among the recipients of the government information shared by the defendant,” wrote the prosecutors.
Teixeira boasted about the extent of the information he had at his disposal in messages, saying, “The information I give here is less than half of what’s available,” according to prosecutors. They added that he admitted to sharing information he wasn’t supposed to.
Magistrate Judge David Hennessy, who heard the detention arguments last month, has yet to deliver his verdict and has scheduled a second hearing this Friday. Earlier court documents revealed that Teixeira maintained various weapons before his arrest and had a past filled with violent and disturbing comments.
The leaked documents outline U.S. and NATO assistance to Ukraine and U.S. intelligence evaluations of U.S. allies, potentially damaging relations with those countries. Some documents provide real-time data from February and March on Ukraine’s and Russia’s battlefield positions and precise numbers of battlefield equipment lost and newly supplied to Ukraine by its allies.
This unfolding case has drawn global attention to the safeguards for managing classified information within the U.S. military. It raises serious questions about how an individual with such a checkered past was allowed access to sensitive documents despite numerous red flags. While the consequences of the leak are still being assessed, it has undoubtedly dealt a significant blow to U.S. intelligence and its allies, and the ensuing legal battle promises to be closely watched.
