Who is The Leaker of Top Secrets Jack Teixeira,?Looking For Companionship?
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| Officials say Teixeira, a National Guard technology support staffer, is suspected of mishandling U.S. military security secrets. (Obtained by CNN) |
By Ben Brasch
Washington Post
Here’s what you should know about Teixeira. Undated image of Jack Teixeira.
Who is Jack Teixeira?
- Teixeira is stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base in Cape Cod, Mass., according to his military records.
- The base is home to the 102nd Intelligence Wing, whose website describes the 102nd’s mission as to “provide world wide precision intelligence and command and control along with trained and experienced Airmen for expeditionary combat support and homeland security.”
- Teixeira’s military record indicates that he enlisted in the National Guard on Sept. 26, 2019.
- Teixeira was mobilized for federal active duty last fall, Nahaku McFadden, a spokesperson for the National Guard Bureau, told The Post.
- His family lives in Dighton, Mass. — about 35 miles south of Boston.
- Some members of the Discord group showed The Post video of Teixiera shouting racist and antisemitic slurs before firing a rifle.
- A friend who spoke with The Post described Teixeira as patriotic, a devout Catholic and a libertarian with an interest in guns and doubts about America’s future.
What kind of information was leaked?
- The leaked documents included the whereabouts and movements of high-ranking political leaders and tactical updates on military forces along with geopolitical analysis and insights into foreign governments’ efforts to interfere with elections.
- The leak, per The Post, revealed how the United States gathers foreign intelligence — not just on Russia’s military and spy agencies but also partners like Ukraine and Israel in addition to key allies in Asia, such as South Korea. Where did the documents go?
- Documents were initially posted to a Discord server named “Thug Shaker Central.”
- Roughly two dozen mostly men and boys formed the invitation-only group on Discord in 2020 with a shared love of guns, military gear and God.
What about Teixeira’s time with the Massachusetts Air National Guard?
- The Post has reported that Teixeira’s military record shows him as an Airman 1st Class with no commendations except for an Air Force Achievement Medal — a routine award given widely to airmen.
How would he allegedly have access to such sensitive information?
- Teixeira’s security clearance level isn’t clear, but he did have access to an internal Defense Department computer network for top secret information called the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS), a U.S. official familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity as the investigation proceeds told The Post.
- Access to JWICS would have given Teixeira the ability to read and potentially print records classified at the same level as many of the leaked documents, per the official.
- Teixeira told members of his online group that he worked as a technology support staffer at a base on Cape Cod, and that this was how he was able to access classified documents, one member of the Discord server told The Post.
- National Guard units perform some support services for active-duty units, including intelligence support for the Joint Staff, one U.S. official told The Post.
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