The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the leak of highly classified Pentagon documents that revealed how the U.S. spies on other countries, including an assessment of weaknesses in Ukraine’s military.
“We have been in communication with the Department of Defense related to this matter and have begun an investigation,” the department said in a statement. “We decline further comment.”
The secret documents appeared on social media sites in recent weeks and the Pentagon has started an interagency effort to assess the impact of the leak.
The materials reveal information that covers a wide range of topics, from U.S. assessments of the war in Ukraine to intelligence gathered on diplomatic allies.
The Defense Department “continues to review and assess the validity of the photographed documents that are circulating on social media sites and that appear to contain sensitive and highly classified material,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said in a statement.
“An interagency effort has been stood up, focused on assessing the impact these photographed documents could have on U.S. national security and on our allies and partners,” according to the statement. “Over the weekend, U.S. officials have engaged with allies and partners and have informed relevant congressional committees of jurisdiction about the disclosure.”
