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Leaks exposing concerns about Ukraine conflict made US officials furious — WP

As a result of the leak, photographs of about 50 highly classified documents started circulating online

WASHINGTON, December 13. /TASS/. US officials were incensed about the leaks of secret intelligence detailing their assessments and concerns about the conflict in Ukraine at the start of this year, the Washington Post reported, citing sources.

"We were blindsided and furious," a US official was quoted as saying about the leaks that first appeared on the Discord messaging platform.

The leak of classified US intelligence documents - allegedly by Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira "revealed that, secretly, the United States harbored profound concerns about Ukraine’s prospects for success," the report said.

The leaked assessments helped the case of a group of Republican members of the House who were questioning US assistance to Ukraine, according to the newspaper. That group has now turned into a "powerful bloc" that has stymied the US administration’s $106 billion supplemental funding request, the report said.

As a result of the leak, photographs of about 50 highly classified documents started circulating online. They detailed secret intelligence on various challenges faced by the US. Government spokespeople started asking news media outlets about what they were planning to publish, and worked to track down intelligence documents from their classified systems.

The Pentagon leak

Air National guardsman Jack Teixeira was arrested on April 13 on suspicion of divulging Pentagon’s classified documents. US news media reported that he was the leader of the Thug Shaker Central group on Discord, the online platform that was allegedly used to leak the classified documents to the Internet.

On April 14, he was charged with two counts related to retrieving and distributing classified and national defense information. In May, a court ruled to remand him in custody until the start of his trial.

In June, Teixeira pleaded not guilty in Boston court. According to the indictment, he committed the offenses between November 2022 and April 2023. According to the US Department of Justice, Teixeira faces up to 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines on each of the six counts.

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