Pentagon, intelligence agencies face calls for details on leak probe

Politicians from both sides of politics say they don’t understand how airman Jack Teixeira was allegedly allowed access.

Jack Teixeira is arrested last week. Pictures: CBS Boston- WBZ

The US Defence Department and intelligence agencies face growing calls from congress for details about how a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman was allegedly able to access and post online classified information.

Senior politicians with oversight of intelligence and defence on Sunday said they don’t yet understand how a low-level information technician was allowed access to the classified documents and allegedly to sneak state secrets out of secured facilities.

Some politicians also called for officials to be held accountable for the breach.

“Ultimately, it’ll be DOD and the Pentagon who will be to blame for this, ” said Republican Nancy Mace, a senior member of both the House of Representatives committee on oversight and accountability and the armed services committee, referring to the Defence Department. “How the heck was he able to take classified documents?” she said on Fox News, referring to the allegation against Airman First Class Jack Teixeira.

Airman Teixeira was arrested by federal agents in Dighton, Massachusetts on Thursday, and charged with unlawfully taking and sharing what appeared to be briefing materials for high-level civilian and military leaders.

Charging documents tie Airman Teixeira to his online community by using billing records from Discord and interviews with at least one other member of his online community.

Airman Teixeira did not enter a plea in his court appearance, and a judge ordered him jailed until a detention hearing next week.

Pat Ryder, a spokesman for the Pentagon, referred queries about the leak investigation to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a statement in response to questions, Brigadier General Ryder noted that US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a review of intelligence access, accountability and control procedures within the Pentagon to help prevent future leaks.

US and other Western officials say the leaks threaten the national security of the US and its allies, compromise Western intelligence collection and are roiling diplomatic relations with Washington’s closest allies.

Analysts say protections put into place in 2013 – after National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed secrets of the agency’s global surveillance programs – should have prevented the latest leak.

“People need to be fired over this,” said Republican senator Lindsey Graham, a ranking member of the Senate judiciary committee, told ABC,

“The system failed; this is a major failure.”

Ms Mace said House members will receive a classified briefing from administration officials later this week when congress is back in session.

“We need to know who the airman was (and) why he felt he had the authority or ability to show off confidential documents, secret documents to his friends,” New York Democrat senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who sits on the intelligence and armed services committees, told CNN.

“We need to figure it out and put proper protections in place.”

The Wall Street Journal