Senators ‘Unsatisfied’ After Pentagon Leaks Briefing

A bipartisan group of senators left a classified briefing on recently leaked materials Wednesday “unsatisfied” and with more questions than answers.

The Hill reported that the senators were briefed by Pentagon officials relating to a trove of classified materials allegedly leaked online by a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman earlier this year, which were only recently discovered.

“Part of it is they don’t know the answers, which is even worse,” the news outlet reported Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., telling reporters after the briefing, also alleging the Biden administration was withholding some information. “This is going to come to a head, one way or another.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told the publication that he was “unhappy and unsatisfied” with the briefing.

“I remain deeply unhappy and unsatisfied with the structure and procedures of access,” he said. “My impression coming out of that meeting is too many people have too much access to too much information without safeguards or guardrails.”

Jack Teixeria was arrested at his home in the state April 13 by FBI, The Associated Press reported at the time. The information technology specialist was charged Friday in U.S. District Court under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of classified national defense information. He has not entered a plea yet.

According to the AP, the materials released from the leak include the mapping of Ukrainian military positions, assessments of Ukraine’s war with Russia, and when Russian President Vladimir Putin might decide to launch a nuclear weapon.

The news outlet said the materials were authenticated by U.S. officials, and it had independently reviewed about 50 of the documents.

House Members were also briefed on the materials and subsequent investigation Wednesday evening, The Hill reported.

“Any person handling classified information should realize the material can impact lives. There can be lives lost,” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, said in the report. “We cannot tolerate any lack of understanding of that, any lack of seriousness.”

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., questioned why technology is not being used to keep these secret documents secured.

“If you’re going to give someone with this level of emotional maturity access to this information,” he asked The Hill, “why aren’t we using the technology to stop him from sharing?”

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in the report Teixeria’s age should not be a primary issue in the probe because “the vast majority of our military is young.”

According to The Hill, the release of the material is damaging to relations with foreign allies as well as enemies.