Ukraine Document Leaker Gets Dishonorable Discharge

Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member who leaked highly classified documents about the war in Ukraine, used his court-martial Thursday to describe himself as a “proud patriot” who was only “exposing and correcting the lies perpetuated by the Biden administration.” After pleading guilty to military charges of obstructing justice, the 23-year-old said he knew his actions were illegal but felt he needed to share the truth about how the Biden administration was misleading the public about the war in Ukraine, reports the Associated Press. “If I saved even one American, Russian or Ukrainian life against this senseless money-grab war, my punishment was worth it,”

Teixeira suggested that he, like President Trump, was a victim of a weaponized Department of Justice. Teixeira said he acted alone when he shared the documents in a geopolitical chat room on Discord, a social media platform popular with online gamers. He called on Trump and his administration to “review my double prosecution and punishments with an eye towards reversing deep-state actions and showing truth no matter how embarrassing to the Biden administration.” Judge Vicki Marcus agreed to the plea deal and sentenced Teixeira to a dishonorable discharge and no jail time. She rejected a prosecution request for a reprimand and a demotion in rank. Teixeira, of North Dighton, Mass., was sentenced last year to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act. Military prosecutors said charges of disobeying orders and obstructing justice were appropriate given that obeying orders is the military's “absolute core." Defense attorneys argued for leniency, saying a toxic culture at his base, poor training and a lack of supervision contributed to his actions.