White House National Security spokesman John Kirby warned Monday that the details surrounding the leaked Pentagon documents should not be reported out.
Several classified documents, some of which reportedly pertain to how the U.S. spies on foreign nations such as Israel, Ukraine and South Korea, were leaked over recent weeks, prompting officials to worry the leak could jeopardize international relations.
Kirby spoke about matter during Monday’s press briefing.
“Again, without confirming the validity of the documents, this is information that has no business in the public domain. It has no business – if you don’t mind me saying – on the pages of … front pages of newspapers or on television. It is not intended for public consumption and it should not be out there,” Kirby said. (RELATED: ‘That’s A Blatant Lie’: Rubio Slams Kirby For Claiming Spy Balloon Was For Weather)
The documents could number up to 100 in total, though the Pentagon has only verified roughly a handful, with approximately 40 having been lost after online Discord and Telegram users deleted the servers to certain posts, according to The Wall Street Journal. The documents that have been confirmed thus far disclose weaknesses in the Ukrainian air defense networks, NATO aims to rebuild the Ukrainian military and how U.S. intelligence agencies have penetrated Russian information defense agencies, according to CNN.
The documents reportedly reveal that U.S. intelligence has compromised Russia’s Defense Ministry and have allegedly been able to determine Russia’s military capabilities.
The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the matter.