Story of the Week •
April 13th, 2023
Leaked Pentagon Documents Detail US Foreign Surveillance
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
A leak of sensitive documents from the Pentagon sparked a federal investigation and worldwide scrutiny of the U.S. military.
Details: At least 50 documents with classified markings leaked and circulated online in recent weeks, gaining mainstream coverage following a report from the New York Times (Lean Left Bias) on Friday. While there is consensus that a fair portion of the materials are authentic, certain included documents appear to be altered.
The documents contain information on the Ukraine war, including U.S. assessments of Ukrainian forces' ongoing fighting capability and the state of Ukrainian arms and ammunition supplies. Documents also reveal the extent of both U.S. involvement in Ukraine's resistance against the Russian invasion and the depth of U.S. agencies' infiltration of Russian President Vladimir Putin's innercircle.
In addition to spying on the Kremlin, the documents indicate U.S. intelligence agencies conduct surveillance on U.S. allies such as Israel and South Korea.
The Leaker: The documents were reportedly first shared on a private server on the chat messaging program Discord. The Washington Post (Lean Left Bias) interviewed a member of the server and friend of the leaker who stated the leaker worked on a U.S. military base. On Thursday, FBI agents arrested Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old air national guardsman in Massachusetts, in connection with the leak.
How The Media Covered It: Coverage of the leak has been split between reporting on the leak itself, including potential diplomatic ramifications and the nature of the security breach, and the content included in the leaked documents. Outlets across the spectrum are covering the revealed information similarity, framing coverage primarily around information pertaining to the Ukraine war and the revelation that U.S. intelligence agencies are conducting surveillance on U.S. allies.
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Snippets from the Left
Leaker of U.S. secret documents worked on military base, friend says
Washington Post
"The man behind a massive leak of U.S. government secrets that has exposed spying on allies, revealed the grim prospects for Ukraine’s war with Russia and ignited diplomatic fires for the White House is a young, charismatic gun enthusiast who shared highly classified documents with a group of far-flung acquaintances searching for companionship amid the isolation of the pandemic."
The ongoing scandal over leaked US intel documents, explained
Vox (analysis)
"The files reveal closely held information about US operations, like a suggestion there are up to 100 NATO special operations officials in Ukraine, and details about casualty counts for both Russia and Ukraine."
Snippets from the Center
How strong is US-Ukraine wartime alliance? What the leaks reveal.
Christian Science Monitor (analysis)
"U.S. assistance has moved well beyond simply providing crucial modern weaponry to advising the Ukrainians – sometimes on a daily basis based on sophisticated satellite imagery – on the optimal targeting of Russian forces and repositioning of Ukrainian forces to evade planned Russian attacks."
U.S. Investigation Into Leak of Classified Pentagon Documents Focuses on Insiders
Wall Street Journal
"The bulk of the more than 60 documents, if genuine, appear to originate from the Central Intelligence Agency’s Operations Center and the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. Such documents are typically briefed to senior-level decision makers at the Pentagon in an environment protected from electronic surveillance and secured against leaks."
Snippets from the Right
The Biggest Exposure of Classified Secrets Since Edward Snowden
Jim Geraghty (opinion)
"I don’t think any U.S. ally should be that shocked that the NSA intercepts their internal communications, but this revelation is an embarrassment, nonetheless."
Pentagon in full damage control mode as extent of intelligence leak unknown
Washington Examiner (analysis)
"The documents contain both embarrassing and potentially disastrous revelations, including the dire straits of the Ukrainian forces, who are overstretched and under-equipped as they plan a late spring offensive."
