Intelligence document leak suspect faces up to 15 years in prison
Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin has the latest on the security breach on Special Report.
Members of the Air National Guard unit where alleged classified document leaker Jack Teixeira was assigned have been pulled from doing intelligence work in the aftermath of his arrest.
The 102nd Intelligence Wing had its mission "paused and divided among other units" as the investigation into the circumstances of the intelligence leak continues, with members of the unit forced to do "busy work" in the meantime, according to a report from MIlitary.com Wednesday.
Airmen in the unit will "continue to train and complete other administrative tasks and duties that are not specifically related to their primary mission," an Air Force official told the outlet, while units in the wing whose mission is not related to intelligence will be allowed to continue their work as normal.
PENTAGON LEAK SUSPECT SEARCHED 'LEAK' ON CLASSIFIED NETWORK AFTER STORY BROKE: FBI
A military vehicle heads onto Joint Base Cape Cod on April 13, 2023, where Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira worked with the 102nd Intelligence Wing on the base. (Steve Heaslip/USA Today Network)
Investigators say the leak of several classified documents likely originated from the 102nd Intelligence Wing, with Teixeira being taken into custody last week and charged with leaking the documents online.
The 102nd Intelligence Wing, which is stationed at Joint Base Cape Cod in Massachusetts, has a mission to "provide worldwide precision intelligence" for "expeditionary combat support and homeland security."
Teixeira likely gained access to the documents through his work with the unit before allegedly leaking them to a small Discord server he shared with a group of mostly young men and teens. One of the other users of the server posted the documents to an internet message board, which resulted in them reaching a wider audience.
Selfie of Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old National Guard airman accused of leaking classified information. (Facebook)
JACK TEIXEIRA CHARGED IN PENTAGON LEAK INVESTIGATION: READ THE DOCUMENTS
In a news conference Wednesday, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told reporters that the leaks were "significant" and "serious" but declined to go into detail about potential policy changes that could help prevent future leaks.
"The unauthorized disclosure that's occurred is very significant and serious to us, and we want to make sure those sorts of things don't happen," Kendall said. "There's always a balance between the openness we can have, certainly with the American public and everybody else, but also what we need to protect from the point of view of giving our potential adversaries information that could benefit them."
Aerial photo of the arrest of Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira by FBI agents for allegedly leaking classified materials. (Fox News)
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Teixeira was charged last week with unauthorized retention and transmission of classified national defense information. He could also face charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice as a result of being on active duty at the time of the alleged leaks.
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