Massachusetts congressman among those briefed on local guardsman's document leak
BOSTON —A United States representative from Massachusetts is among the members of Congress who have been recently briefed on the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who has been charged with leaking highly-classified military documents.
Rep. Jake Auchincloss, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said he was briefed on the issue Wednesday and that he questions the Pentagon's top-secret vetting process after learning that Teixeira expressed antisemitic and racist views online.
"What is the process by which you are given a (Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information) clearance, the highest level clearance you can get, as a young individual — who, after talking to their peers and looking at their social media footprint — how are they adjudicating whether this person has the maturity necessary to handle this kind of information?" Auchincloss said.
Auchincloss is a Democrat who represents the 4th congressional district of Massachusetts, which includes Teixeira's hometown of North Dighton.
Teixeira, 21, is accused of sharing documents about Russia's war in Ukraine and other top national security issues in a chat room on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers.
There are questions about whether the case could move to Washington, D.C. or another location, but Henning Strategies attorney Vince DeMore, who is also a judge advocate for the U.S. Army Reserve, said the case will likely remain within the Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston.
"In the context of this case, makes the most sense that it to remain here in Massachusetts because that's where the criminal conduct occurred, and because of due process rights of the defendant, he also has rights here," DeMore said.
Teixeira made a brief appearance at the Moakley Courthouse on Wednesday for a scheduled detention hearing, but the judge canceled it after Teixeira’s lawyer filed a motion requesting that it be delayed for about two weeks. The defense said it “requires more time to address the issues presented by the government’s request for detention.” A new date has not yet been set.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
By: Sera Congi
Source: WCVB: ABC Boston