Who is Jack Teixeira, the accused leaker of Pentagon classified documents?
Rachel Schilke
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Jack Teixeira was accused and charged under the Espionage Act with the unauthorized release and retention of classified national defense information after he allegedly leaked hundreds of Pentagon documents on a messaging platform.
Teixeira is a 21-year-old airman 1st class of the Air National Guard, the third enlisted rank an airman will make. He works as a cyber transport systems journeyman who ensures the Air Force‘s “vast, global communications network” is operating correctly. Teixeira was working in the same intelligence unit his stepfather, Master Sgt. Thomas P. Dufault, retired from in 2019 following a 34-year career.
JACK TEIXEIRA CHARGED IN CONNECTION TO PENTAGON CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS LEAK
He was recently stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base in Cape Cod and was promoted to airman 1st class in July. During his time in service, he received one achievement medal.
Former high school classmates told CNN that Teixeira held a fascination with the military, guns, and war. He would often wear camouflage to school and carried a “dictionary-sized book on guns,” behaving in ways that made students feel uneasy.
“A lot of people were wary of him,” said Brooke Cleathero, who attended middle school and high school with Teixeira. “He was more of a loner, and having a fascination with war and guns made him off-putting to a lot of people.”
John Powell, who also went to middle school and high school with Teixeira, said Teixeira was pleasant and was sometimes picked on. He recalled Teixeira had an early fascination with the military, including tanks, planes, and submarines.
“He was dead set on joining some branch of the military, even as a kid,” Powell said.
With his fascination with the military, one classmate who spoke anonymously said she took it as American nationalism and was surprised when the news came out that he had allegedly leaked military intelligence.
“I didn’t think he would be capable of doing something like this,” she said.
Teixeira is accused of releasing hundreds of classified documents in an invite-only chat on Discord, a messaging platform. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he was made aware of the leaked documents on April 6 and has convened military officials for daily updates since April 7, but the leaks could date back to as early as January.
Investigators submitted court documents suggesting Teixeira began sharing classified information online as early as December 2022.
The documents he allegedly released revealed U.S. intelligence regarding both sides of the war in Ukraine, including pulling the curtain back on how far the intelligence community has pierced the Kremlin and uncovering allegedly uncomfortable truths about the U.S. relationship with allies, including Israel and South Korea.
Some of the documents have been altered or changed, though it’s unclear which and who would have manipulated them if it wasn’t Teixeira. Some foreign governments have said statements contained within the leaked documents are false.
Pentagon press secretary Patrick Ryder called Teixeira’s alleged actions “a deliberate criminal act.”
Teixeira was identified by multiple outlets as the leader of an invite-only online gaming chat group called “Thug Shaker Central” on Discord, composed of about 25 members, some foreigners. He was known in the group by the name “OG,” a Washington Post report revealed.
“OG” told the members the documents were things he brought home from a “military base,” according to the report.
Members of the group told the Washington Post Teixeira was not a whistleblower but a young man who wanted to show off to his young friends, and the documents were never intended to leave the chat group.
“He’s a smart person. He knew what he was doing when he posted these documents, of course. These weren’t accidental leaks of any kind,” one member said.
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Another member said Teixeira would constantly speak of international affairs and government operations.
“This guy was a Christian, anti-war, just wanted to inform some of his friends about what’s going on,” said one acquaintance of Teixeira’s. “We have some people in our group who are in Ukraine. We like fighting games. We like war games.”