Air Force to prosecute Teixeira for leaks under military regulations

The Air Force is pursuing charges against disgraced leaker Jack Teixeira under military law, according to a service spokesperson.

Teixeira, who was a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, pleaded guilty to federal charges against him in March for leaking hundreds of classified documents, and he was sentenced to a maximum of nearly 17 years in jail.

The Air Force determined that “separate and distinct charges” should be filed against Teixeira, the spokesperson told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. He is facing two charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice — one for failing to follow orders and one for obstructing justice.

The charge of failing to follow orders relates to a lawful order to stop accessing information unrelated to his duties, which the department believes he failed to comply with. The latter charge relates to both his attempt to get rid of a tablet, computer, and cellphone and his attempt to get another person to delete Discord messages he sent.

He is subject to both criminal prosecution by the Department of Justice and by the Air Force under the UCMJ because he was on active duty orders at the time he committed his crimes, according to the spokesperson.

The Special Court-Martial Convening Authority ordered a hearing that will take place at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts on May 14. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations worked with the FBI to determine whether charges should be filed against Teixeira under the UCMJ.

He has been accused of leaking hundreds of documents via the Discord app over several months spanning from 2022-23. At first, he began taking notes on classified intelligence to share with his friends on Discord, an online platform, but he then stopped that when he got concerned others were onto him. So he then decided to print it out, take it home with him, photograph it there and post those photos online.

The airman, who had a top-secret clearance while working in the 102nd Intelligence Wing, was reprimanded twice for the improper handling of classified material in September and October 2022, and in January 2023, he was seen using a Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System machine. The person who saw him found him viewing “content not related to his primary duty and was related to the intelligence field,” according to federal prosecutors.

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He was able to share classified information with his friends online for months before defense officials caught on. Several of the documents he released showed sensitive details about Ukraine’s and Russia’s militaries.

Teixiera was arrested on April 13, 2023, following a manhunt into who was behind the leak. The Air Force initiated disciplinary action against 15 officers for dereliction in the performance of duties as it relates to Teixeira’s leaks.