Latest news with #MassachusettsAirNationalGuard
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘I'm a patriot': Pentagon secrets leaker Jack Teixeira defends actions in interview
Jack Teixeira, the now 23-year-old serving a 15-year prison sentence for leaking classified documents on Discord, told 'Good Morning America' in an interview published Thursday morning that he did not regret his actions, and he never intended to harm his country. Teixeira, of North Dighton, was a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard who had access to top-secret documents as a cyber transport systems specialist at the Otis Air National Guard Base on Joint Base Cape Cod. Last March, he pleaded guilty to six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information relating to the national defense. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani sentenced him to 15 years in prison. In the interview with ABC News' Linsey Davis, Teixeira said he felt a need to educate the American people about the country's involvement in Russia's war with Ukraine. 'My intent was to educate the United States populist people about what was going on. It was not to harm the United States or the country because I love my nation. I'm a patriot,' he said. 'I did believe that I needed to educate the people about what was going on because I believe they were being lied to.' He claimed the Biden administration was pushing false and misleading information about the war, and he wanted to show an 'unvarnished' look at what was taking place. At the sentencing hearing last November, Teixeira apologized for his actions. 'I understand that all of the responsibility and consequences falls upon my shoulders alone,' he said. 'My behavior has created such a maelstrom.' 'I can't really sum up how contrite I am,' he added. But in the interview with ABC, Teixeira struck a different tone. Teixeira said the apology was aimed at family and friends, but he didn't regret leaking the documents, and would do it all again. 'I still believe in my actions,' he said. 'I've tortured myself over and over and over again about what would happen if I didn't do this, or what would happen if this and that. And in reality, it doesn't really matter.' A lawyer representing Teixeira said at the hearing that his primary motivation was to share his experiences with a group of friends he found on Discord. Yet Teixeira told Davis that was a 'secondary motivation.' In the interview, Teixeira accused the Biden administration of politicizing his case. U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua S. Levy, a Biden appointee, prosecuted Teixeira's case. 'I just feel like there are people who have done far worse things as far as what they did with similar information, and they didn't get as bad of a treatment as I did,' he said. 'I think that I was used as a sacrificial lamb, and I was crucified to be made of as an example.' In a press conference following Teixeira's sentencing, Levy said the full impact of his crime wouldn't be known for years. Texeira put himself over his country, and in doing so violated one of the core tenets of public service, Levy said. 'Jack Teixeira made the deliberate choice day after day, week after week, year over a year, to share the nation's secrets that were entrusted to him and make them available to all comers,' he said. 'He was callous to the fact that he put our national security at risk.' 'Today, Mr. Teixeira has paid a very heavy price for the laws he broke, or for the incredible damage that he caused,' Levy continued. Man killed in Marlborough fatal house fire identified Wastewater overflow in Connecticut River falls to 543 million gallons in 2024 PVPC working on two-decade plan for bikers and pedestrians Man faces assault charge in Northbridge fatal shooting Mass. weather: Heavier rain from nor'easter to fall during evening commute Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pentagon Leaker Says He'd Do It All Again and Begs Trump for Pardon
The man who pleaded guilty to leaking top-secret military information online said he would do it all again. Former Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, 23, used his high-level security clearance as a cyber transport systems specialist to access classified information, which he then posted online. He pleaded guilty in a plea deal and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in November. In his first interview from prison, Teixeira told ABC News that he regrets nothing. 'I've tortured myself over and over and over again about what would happen if I didn't do this or what would happen if this and that. And in reality, it doesn't really matter,' he said. 'I still do believe that, yes, I would have done it again.' Beginning as early as February 2022, Teixeira leaked sensitive intelligence on the social media platform Discord about North Korea, Israel, and Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. Leaked material included assessments of military actions, troop movements, and details of arms shipments—putting fellow soldiers' lives at risk in addition to jeopardizing strategic planning. Then-Attorney General Merrick Garland said Teixeira did all of this 'in an attempt to impress anonymous friends on the internet.' Texeira struck a plea deal with federal prosecutors, agreeing to plead guilty to six charges of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. As part of the deal, he wasn't charged with additional counts under the Espionage Act. In the interview with ABC, Teixeira said he wants President Donald Trump to pardon him. His lawyers filed an application for a full pardon—not just a commutation of his sentence—on Wednesday. 'I think they'll look at someone like me as a supporter and someone who really used what I thought was going to be my last vote in county jail for Trump during 2024,' he said. Directly appealing to the president, he said: 'Please give me back to my family, to reunite with my family with my rights as an American and with my freedom.' His mother, Dawn Dufault, echoed his remarks: 'If he [Trump] agrees that it was unfair treatment, give him a pardon,' she said. Calling himself a 'patriot,' Teixeira added: 'It was by no means meant to harm my country, but I did believe that I needed to educate the people about what was going on because I believe they were being lied to.' He said he believes he accomplished his goal. 'I don't feel that I betrayed my country at all—just the opposite,' he said. 'I believe that I educated a lot of the people who have been kept in the dark and who were being lied to about this concerning all of the things that had been going on.' Teixeira added that an apology he made previously was intended for his friends and family, not the nation—because he still doesn't think he did anything wrong. 'I still believe in my actions,' he said, adding that the Biden administration made him a 'sacrificial lamb.' 'I was crucified to be made of as an example,' he said. Teixeira enlisted in the Air National Guard in 2019 and obtained top secret security clearance two years later, the Justice Department said.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Convicted Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira pleads guilty to obstruction of justice, calls himself ‘proud patriot'
Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member convicted of leaking highly classified documents about the war in Ukraine, used his court-martial Thursday to describe himself as a "proud patriot" who was trying to expose the supposed "lies" of the Biden administration. After pleading guilty to military charges of obstructing justice, the 23-year-old acknowledged he knew his actions were illegal but felt he needed to share the truth about how the Biden administration was, in his view, misleading the American public about the war in Ukraine. "If I saved even one American, Russian or Ukrainian life against this senseless money-grab war, my punishment was worth it," he said, adding that he was "comfortable in how history will remember my actions." Teixeira drew parallels with President Donald Trump, alleging he too was a victim of a weaponized Justice Department. He called on the Trump administration to "review my double prosecution and punishments with an eye towards reversing deep-state actions and showing truth, no matter how embarrassing to the Biden administration." Trump Salutes 'Fearless' Military, Police Dogs On K-9 Veterans Day: 'Canine Courage' Teixeira was sentenced last year to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act following his arrest for sharing classified documents on a Discord chatroom. Read On The Fox News App Border Area Bustling Under Biden Now Quiet Under Trump, Says Veterans Group: 'Amazing Difference' The leaks exposed to the world unvarnished secret assessments of Russia's war in Ukraine, including information about troop movements in Ukraine, and the provision of supplies and equipment to Ukrainian troops. The documents also revealed assessments of the defense capabilities of Taiwan and internal arguments in Britain, Egypt, Israel, South Korea and Japan. Teixeira also admitted to posting information about a U.S. adversary's plans to harm U.S. forces serving overseas. Teixeira, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, worked as an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks. His lawyers described Teixeira as an autistic, isolated individual who spent most of his time online, especially with his Discord community, and never meant to harm the U.S. The security breach forced the Biden administration to scramble to try to contain diplomatic and military fallout. The leaks also embarrassed the Pentagon, which tightened controls to safeguard classified information and disciplined members found to have intentionally failed to take the required action regarding Teixeira's suspicious article source: Convicted Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira pleads guilty to obstruction of justice, calls himself 'proud patriot'
Fox News
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Convicted Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira pleads guilty to obstruction of justice, calls himself ‘proud patriot'
Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member convicted of leaking highly classified documents about the war in Ukraine, used his court-martial Thursday to describe himself as a "proud patriot" who was trying to expose the supposed "lies" of the Biden administration. After pleading guilty to military charges of obstructing justice, the 23-year-old acknowledged he knew his actions were illegal but felt he needed to share the truth about how the Biden administration was, in his view, misleading the American public about the war in Ukraine. "If I saved even one American, Russian or Ukrainian life against this senseless money-grab war, my punishment was worth it," he said, adding that he was "comfortable in how history will remember my actions." Teixeira drew parallels with President Donald Trump, alleging he too was a victim of a weaponized Justice Department. He called on the Trump administration to "review my double prosecution and punishments with an eye towards reversing deep-state actions and showing truth, no matter how embarrassing to the Biden administration." Teixeira was sentenced last year to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act following his arrest for sharing classified documents on a Discord chatroom. The leaks exposed to the world unvarnished secret assessments of Russia's war in Ukraine, including information about troop movements in Ukraine, and the provision of supplies and equipment to Ukrainian troops. The documents also revealed assessments of the defense capabilities of Taiwan and internal arguments in Britain, Egypt, Israel, South Korea and Japan. Teixeira also admitted to posting information about a U.S. adversary's plans to harm U.S. forces serving overseas. Teixeira, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, worked as an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks. His lawyers described Teixeira as an autistic, isolated individual who spent most of his time online, especially with his Discord community, and never meant to harm the U.S. The security breach forced the Biden administration to scramble to try to contain diplomatic and military fallout. The leaks also embarrassed the Pentagon, which tightened controls to safeguard classified information and disciplined members found to have intentionally failed to take the required action regarding Teixeira's suspicious behavior.
CNN
13-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira pleads guilty to obstructing justice, calls himself a ‘proud patriot'
Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member who caused an international uproar when he leaked highly classified documents about the war in Ukraine, pleaded guilty to military charges of obstructing justice at his court-martial Thursday and called himself a 'proud patriot.' In a 10-minute address, Teixeira said he was 'exposing and correcting the lies that were perpetrated by President Biden and force-fed to the American people' about the war in Ukraine. 'I believe the Department of Justice was politicized against President Trump and myself,' added Teixeira, who said he acted alone. He called on Trump and members of his administration to reverse his convictions. 'If I saved one American, Russian or Ukrainian life in this money-grabbing war, my punishment was worth it,' he said. The plea agreement calls for dishonorable discharge and no jail time. The judge approved the plea agreement, but had not addressed his sentencing yet, which was expected to occur later Thursday afternoon. Teixeira was already sentenced last year to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act, following his arrest in the most consequential national security breach in years. Military prosecutors said before the court-martial at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts that charges of disobeying orders and obstructing justice were appropriate given that obeying orders is the 'absolute core' of the military. Teixeira's lawyer, Lt. Col. Bradley Poronsky, argued Monday that the obstructing justice charge should either be dismissed or go unpunished, saying it amounts to double jeopardy because it already factored into Teixeira's November sentencing. A plea agreement was accepted by both sides that drops the disobeying orders charge. Teixeira pleaded guilty to the obstruction charge, admitting that he used a hammer to destroy a cellphone, a computer hard drive and an iPad after seeing some news reports of the leaked documents. He also admitted to telling his friend to destroy messages exchanged on a communication app. 'I was scared about a potential law enforcement investigation into me and my friends,' he said in court Thursday. As the sentencing phase began, Teixeira's parents said he took an early interest in the military as a child. His father, also named Jack Teixeira, described him as 'a good kid, energetic, intelligent, and quirky.' When his son decided to join the military, 'I was excited about it,' the elder Teixeira said. 'It was a good option for Jack.' He said it gave him direction and the chance to see the world. 'He made a mistake,' his mother, Dawn Dufault, said. 'Everyone makes mistakes. He's my son, I love him. He deserves a second chance.' The leaks exposed to the world unvarnished secret assessments of Russia's war in Ukraine, including information about troop movements in Ukraine, and the provision of supplies and equipment to Ukrainian troops. The leaked documents also revealed assessments of the defense capabilities of Taiwan and internal arguments in Britain, Egypt, Israel, South Korea and Japan. Teixeira also admitted to posting information about a US adversary's plans to harm US forces serving overseas. Teixeira worked as an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks. His lawyers described Teixeira as an autistic, isolated individual who spent most of his time online, especially with his Discord community, and never meant to harm the United States.
