Intelligence leak: Biden under pressure over national security issues

The US intelligence scandal raises doubts about the security of highly confidential documents – and the question of how secrets can be better protected in the future. US President Joe Biden has promised to clarify the matter as soon as possible. He instructed his government to find out why the suspected traitor had access to such sensitive information in the first place. At the same time, the Democrat faces sharp criticism from Republicans. Meanwhile, more and more details from the Secret Service documents came to light over the weekend.

Dozens of classified US documents have been circulating on the Internet for weeks. A 21-year-old US military official, Jack Teixeira, is suspected of placing them in a closed chat room. From there, they spread until authorities and the media became aware of them. Teixeira was arrested on Thursday and brought to court on Friday. The National Guard’s IT specialist is charged with the unauthorized deletion, storage and transmission of classified and national defense information. If convicted, he risks several years behind bars.

“Didn’t we notice this pattern of behavior? Who didn’t check this? Where is the human surveillance?” The Washington Post quoted a former senior intelligence official. He wondered how it was possible that the 21-year-old had printed out so many documents. A lawyer who deals with legal matters around security clearances told the paper: “It is not uncommon for someone in their position and responsibility to have this kind of access.” Because Teixeira worked in an area where those documents existed, he needed that permission, Bradley Moss said.

Teixeira worked as an IT specialist on a US military base. According to the media, the 21-year-old told the chat group that he spent parts of the day in a secure facility where electronic devices were prohibited. That is why he initially copied the documents. He later began taking individual documents home and photographing them there.

The case also raises questions about the young man’s motive. The case seems different from that of whistleblowers Edward Snowden or Chelsea Manning. In 2013, Snowden gave several journalists a large number of confidential documents from the American surveillance service NSA. The footage revealed an in-depth system of Internet and telecommunications surveillance by US intelligence agencies. Manning had passed on diplomatic correspondence and military records. In particular, a video in which civilians and reporters were shot at by US troops in Iraq became widely known.

So far, there is no evidence that Teixeira’s behavior was politically motivated – even though he was critical of the US government on certain points. But the initial findings don’t quite fit the scheme of similar secret scandals in the past. The published documents about, for example, the war in Ukraine do not seem to follow any system. Some provide information about Ukraine’s weaknesses, others point out Russia’s weaknesses.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right frontwoman, nevertheless claims, “It is clear that Mr. Teixeira is a whistleblower exposing the corruption of the Biden administration.” Other Republicans accuse Biden of his administration’s failure to secure classified documents. “Through our committees, Congress will get answers,” announced House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The “Washington Post” has released more details about the classified documents published online this weekend. For example, they suggest that the Taiwanese air force would be very badly positioned in the event of a military conflict with China. Other documents also contain information about the suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew over the United States earlier this year. It also covered other spy balloons and their equipment. (sda/dpa)