The arrest raises major questions about why such a junior airman had access to this intelligence.
A 21-year-old Air National Guardsman has been arrested by the FBI in connection with a massive leak of classified intelligence. Jack Teixeira was reportedly taken into custody “without incident.” Here’s what we know about his arrest — and why this leak is such a huge deal.
A major intelligence leak
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the arrest from Washington, adding that Teixeira will be arraigned at the Federal District Court in Massachusetts. Garland said the arrest related to the “unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.” As the NYT notes, his language indicated the Espionage Act, which prosecutes the mishandling and theft of sensitive intelligence.
The documents leaked online included classified info regarding both sides of the Russian war in Ukraine, as well as detailed assessments about U.S. allies and foes. They have revealed the dire state of Russia’s army, which has been decimated since the invasion — and the gutting of the clandestine spetsnaz forces typically tasked with undercover high-risk missions. Crucially, they’ve also disclosed specifics about how the U.S. spies on both adversaries and allies — which puts the Biden administration in some very awkward positions diplomatically.
The revelation of these secrets appears to have blindsided the Pentagon, which seems to have had no idea that they were spreading online for weeks.
According to The New York Times, federal authorities said Teixeira had posted batches of sensitive material to Thug Shaker Central, a small gaming chat group formed in 2020 that reportedly has just a few dozen members. Per The Washington Post, the invitation-only group comprised men and boys who bonded over their fascination with artillery, military gear, and religion.
One member reportedly said: “We all grew very close to each other, like a tight-knit family … We depended on each other.”
Teixeira, who was known by members as OG, was apparently the nucleus of the group, and posted videos of himself at the gun range. One seen by The Washington Post showed him shouting racist and antisemitic slurs before firing.
How did Teixeira have access to such classified info?
The arrest has raised major questions as to why someone so young and junior was able to access such vital intelligence.
“Here is a simple reality: Most enlisted people are young and they are there to do the mission and to learn and advance and almost all of them are trustworthy to an oath they take,” John Miller, CNN’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, explains. “But we still recruit from the human race.”
Essentially, Miller tells CNN, the work done by the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Air National Guard, which Teixeira belonged to, necessitates access to a broad range of intelligence because they’re dealing with sophisticated threats in multiple regions — places like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. They’re tasked with flying drones that carry out “Intelligence/Surveillance/Reconnaissance or ‘ISR’ missions in support of the Air Force and warfighters on the ground.”
Teixeira’s official title was Cyber Transport Systems journeyman. According to the Air Force, his job was to ensure that the service’s “vast, global communications network” is operating correctly.
“Whether it’s repairing a network hub at a stateside base or installing fiber-optic cable at a forward installation overseas, these experts keep our communications systems up and running and play an integral role in our continuing success,” the Air Force’s website explains.
MTG leaps to Teixeira’s defense
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who’s a member of the Homeland Security Committee tweeted in Teixeira’s defense just hours after he was apprehended.
“Jake Teixeira is white, male, christian, and antiwar,” she wrote. “That makes him an enemy to the Biden regime. And he told the truth about troops being on the ground in Ukraine and a lot more. Ask yourself who is the real enemy? A young low level national guardsmen? Or the administration that is waging war in Ukraine, a non-NATO nation, against nuclear Russia without war powers?”
