Pentagon Leaker Alarmed Commanders With Previous Mishandling of Classified Info Months Before Arrest: Report

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A new report shows that Air Force officials were concerned about Jack Teixeira months before his arrest, having repeatedly warned him over his handling of classified information.

The Air National Guardsman was arrested by the FBI last month after being identified as the leaker who posted highly classified military documents to a chat room on Discord—the New York Times published a report on how Teixeira came into trouble with his Air Force superiors last year when they caught him taking notes and pocketing them while handling secret information.

Teixeira’s conduct was branded a “concerning action,” the Times reviewed a national security division memo saying he “was instructed to no longer take notes in any form on classified intelligence information.” The memo also details an alleged incident showing that Teixeira made deep-dive searches for sensitive information.

“In late January, a master sergeant who was working at the Air Force base on Cape Cod in Massachusetts observed Airman Teixeira inappropriately accessing reports on the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System, the Pentagon’s secure intranet system,” the memo said, according to the Times. This was met with a cease and desist order for Teixeira not to seek out intelligence unrelated to his duties.

Following these instances, Teixeira received a military certificate recognizing that he “completed training intended to prevent the ‘unauthorized disclosure’ of classified information.” This could be used as evidence against Teixeira as he faces federal charges that could sentence him to prison for decades.