An Air Force airman facing charges of leaking a trove of government secrets may have been given multiple warnings before his arrest, according to a Justice Department filing.
Airman Jack Teixeira, 21, was allegedly taking notes and conducting deep–dive searches for classified material months before he was charged. The filing reveals that twice in September and October 2022, his superiors in the Massachusetts Air National Guard admonished him for taking “concerning actions” while handling classified information.
The court filing also states that he was ordered to cease taking notes on classified information and to stop any deep dives into the intelligence. It is unclear if these orders were enforced.
The filing was made ahead of a hearing before a federal magistrate judge in Worcester, Mass., on Friday to determine whether Airman Teixeira should be released on bail. Prosecutors argued for his indefinite detention, citing his past trainings on the “unauthorized disclosure” of classified information as evidence that he knew his actions were wrong.
The court filing also revealed that a master sergeant at the Air Force base in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, observed Airman Teixeira inappropriately accessing reports on the secure intranet system, the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System.
In addition, the filing includes Discord posts made by Airman Teixeira in which he bragged about violating “breaking a ton of UD regs” and did not care “what they say I can or can’t share.” It is believed that Airman Teixeira shared secrets with scores of online friends from around the world on Discord, a social media platform popular with gamers.
Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said two of Airman Teixeira’s superiors at the 102nd Intelligence Wing on Cape Cod have been suspended pending an internal investigation by the Air Force inspector general. Their access to classified information has been temporarily blocked.
Airman Teixeira’s legal team is seeking his release on $20,000 bail, arguing that he posed no risk of disclosing new intelligence. Airman Teixeira’s father told the judge in Worcester last month that he would take responsibility for monitoring his son if he were released and that he would use security cameras around his house to alert him of any suspicious behavior while he was at work.
The scandal has raised troubling questions about whether the military missed opportunities to stop or limit one of the most damaging intelligence leaks in recent history. The Air Force is currently investigating the matter to determine how, or if, they enforced the directive.