Pentagon leaks trial
National Guard Teixeira pleads not guilty
06/21/2023, 11:41 p.m
The so-called Pentagon leaks represent one of the biggest secret service scandals in recent US history. National Guard Jack Teixeira is said to have stolen the top secret documents and shared them publicly. Before a grand jury, the 21-year-old rejects all allegations.
US National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, arrested for leaking numerous classified military documents, has pleaded not guilty in court. The 21-year-old dismissed the six charges against him in federal court in the east coast state of Massachusetts, according to a court document.
Teixeira was indicted last week by a lay panel known as the grand jury for storing and distributing classified national defense documents. The IT specialist faces up to ten years in prison for each of the six charges. The national guard was arrested in April and has been in custody since then.
Teixeira is said to be responsible for one of the most momentous releases of secret US documents in recent years – known as the Pentagon Leaks. He is said to have shared the documents in a group on the online platform Discord, and later the documents also appeared on platforms such as Twitter and Telegram.
Many of the documents related to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Other documents suggested the US was spying on allies like Israel and South Korea. Teixeira worked for the Air National Guard as an IT and communications specialist, the third lowest military rank. In 2021 he received clearance for access to highly classified documents.