Daily Briefing: Suspect in Pentagon document leak to appear in court

 A 21-year-old Air National Guardsman will appear in court charged with leaking classified documents. Also in the news: President Joe Biden wraps up his trip to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and parts of Florida could see some respite following an epic storm and flooding.

Air National Guardsman arrested over leaked Pentagon documents

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the arrest Thursday of Jack Teixeira, an Air National Guardsman in Massachusetts suspected of leaking classified documents. Teixeira, 21, is charged with the alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information, Garland said. Teixeira, an enlisted airman first class who is also the leader of an online chat group who has shared an interest in guns and racist memes, will make his first court appearance Friday in Boston, a spokesperson said. The leaked documents appear to be highly sensitive reports tied to the war effort in Ukraine, including data on military activities.

• What are the charges? Teixeira, 21, is charged with the alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information, Garland said. He will have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.
• Teixeira to appear in court Friday: Teixeira is expected to make his first court appearance Friday in Boston, a Justice spokesperson said. 
• Who is Jack Teixeira? Teixeira is an enlisted airman first class, a member of the 102nd Intelligence Wing based in Cape Cod. He is also the leader of an online chat group who has shared an interest in guns and racist memes.

The leaked documents appear to be highly sensitive reports tied to the war effort in Ukraine, including data on military activities like U.S. drone spy planes in the area and Ukrainian forces’ use of ammunition. They appear to show how the U.S. views Ukrainian forces’ training and state of readiness, plus the number of Ukrainian and Russian troops killed and equipment destroyed in the ongoing conflict, 

Pentagon documents leak 'a deliberate criminal act

Teixeira oversaw a private Discord channel called Thug Shaker Central, according to multiple reports. The private chat group was comprised of about 20 to 30 people, mostly young men and teens, the reports say. 

Stringent guidelines are in place to protect classified information and are under review, Air Force Brig. Gen. PatRyder said. Everybody with a security clearance signs a non-disclosure agreement.

The leak, Ryder said, “was a deliberate criminal act.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is conducting daily meetings to review the scope and impact of the leaks and mitigation measures, Ryder said.