President Joe Biden responded to the arrest of the alleged Pentagon documents leaker on Friday, applauding the “rapid action taken by law enforcement.”
“I commend the rapid action taken by law enforcement to investigate and respond to the recent dissemination of classified U.S. government documents. While we are still determining the validity of those documents, I have directed our military and intelligence community to take steps to further secure and limit distribution of sensitive information, and our national security team is closely coordinating with our partners and allies,” Biden said in a statement.
The FBI arrested 21-year-old Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira on Thursday in connection to an investigation into the leak of classified intelligence documents.
TOPSHOT – This photo illustration created on April 13, 2023, shows the suspect, national guardsman Jack Teixeira, reflected in an image of the Pentagon in Washington, DC. – FBI agents on Thursday arrested a young national guardsman suspected of being behind a major leak of sensitive US government secrets — including about the Ukraine war. US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the arrest made “in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.” (Photo by Stefani REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Earlier Thursday, Biden said law enforcement officers were “getting close” to finding the leaker. (RELATED: Biden Says He’s ‘Not Concerned’ As ‘They’re Getting Close’ To Finding Pentagon Docs Leaker)
The leaker posted hundreds of pictures of classified intelligence documents relating to the Russian war on Ukraine and American surveillance tactics in a Discord chatroom in recent months, The Washington Post reported, citing two members of the group chat. The person behind the leaks claimed to have accessed the information from working on a military base, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Here’s What We Know About The Pentagon’s Classified Document Leak So Far)
The documents had been deleted from social media but resurfaced when various media outlets reported on the leak.