Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Thursday defended Jack Teixeria, a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of leaking classified intelligence documents about the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The F.B.I. arrested the 21-year-old in North Dighton, Massachusetts on Thursday, alleging that he posted the confidential material to an online Discord gaming chat group called Thug Shaker Central in early March. The New York Times reported that the small online community consisted of "mostly young men and teenagers, came together over a shared love of guns, racist online memes and video games."
The New Republic reported that the documents were verified as legitimate, though some had been altered before being shared online. The secret papers included information pertaining to Russian and Ukrainian strategies, as well as further intel on Canada, China, Israel, South Korea, the Indo-Pacific military theater, and the Middle East. The documents also detailed how the U.S. spies on adversaries and allies, per The Washington Post.
Mere hours after Teixeria was apprehended, Greene took to Twitter to sharply criticize the arrest, claiming that because the guardsman was "white, male, christian, and antiwar" he was automatically an "enemy to the Biden regime."
"And he told the truth about troops being on the ground in Ukraine and a lot more," she continued. "Ask yourself who is the real enemy? A young low-level national guardsmen? Or the administration that is waging war in Ukraine, a non-NATO nation, against nuclear Russia without war powers?"
Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich refuted Greene's claim.
"US troops are not fighting in Ukraine," she tweeted in response to Greene. "NSC's John Kirby tells Fox there is a small military presence at the Embassy in conjunction with the Defense Attaché's office working on accountability of material - not providing battlefield support."
US troops are not fighting in Ukraine.
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) April 13, 2023
NSC's John Kirby tells Fox there is a small military presence at the Embassy in conjunction with the Defense Attaché's office working on accountability of material - not providing battlefield support. https://t.co/rmqXeVPaTa
Greene wasn't the only member of the GOP to condemn the arrest.
Donald Trump Jr. on his podcast compared Teixiera to Julian Assange and Eric Snowden, other figures known widely for leaking federal secrets.
"Maybe it's just the US government is a bad actor," he claimed, adding that if there is indeed U.S. presence in Ukraine, Teixeira could potentially help "avert World War III."
"Are we on the brink of going in because elected officials aren't telling the American public exactly what's going on?" Trump Jr. asked.
"I used to think they're the villains. I'm like, I don't know, maybe they're actually heroes," he added.
Though it remains unclear how Teixeria was able to obtain access to the classified documents, an anonymous U.S. official told The Washington Post that he may have been able to do so by performing support service for active-duty units, including intelligence support.
CNN's Jake Tapper tweeted that according to House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, the charges will likely reveal Teixeira "betrayed his country."
House Intel Committee chairman @RepMikeTurner told me the charges will likely reveal Teixeira “betrayed his country.” https://t.co/GBn765Rjfs
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2023
