Published: Less than 20 min ago
The classified documents that are said to have been leaked from US security sources pose a threat to US national security, according to the Pentagon.
– The disclosure of sensitive classified material can have enormous consequences, not only for our national security, it can also cost people their lives, says Chris Meagher, adviser to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, at a press conference.
The material contains information about the Russian war effort in Ukraine – but also US analyzes of its allies and what support for Ukraine looks like.
Circulating the photographed documents online poses “a very serious risk to national security,” says Meagher, who also worries about the consequences of disinformation.
– We are still investigating how this could happen and how extensive it is. We are investigating more closely how this information is spread and to whom, he says.
The information began to appear online in early March. It wasn’t until April 6 — the same time The New York Times first reported on the leak — that Austin was informed, according to Meagher.
President Joe Biden was briefed sometime “last week,” according to the White House.
The Pentagon is investigating the authenticity of the documents. But Meagher states that they are reminiscent in their format of the documents that are used daily to update the American leadership on Ukraine and Russia, among others.