Did he act alone?
… "a low-level employee should [not[ be able to see it."
Forgive me for not believing the U.S. military in this case. When Jack Teixeira was arrested on Thursday because he had leaked some high-level national security documents, people could not believe that a low-level Massachusetts National Guard member had access to secrets about the Ukraine war.
I am not a conspiracy theorist, but something does not smell right about the excuse that this low-level high school graduate had that kind of security clearance.
However, take the opinion of someone who knows something about the Massachusetts National Guard.
“I oversaw the state’s Air National Guard.“
Juliette Kayyem served in the administration of former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. She cannot believe that Teixeira was actually granted access to such documents as those that were released over the past few weeks,
From 2006 to 2009, as part of my duties as the homeland-security adviser to then–Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, I oversaw the state’s Air National Guard. I have no idea why one of its members would even have access to the kind of high-level secrets that recently showed up on a Discord server …
This afternoon, Airman Jack Teixeira was arrested in connection with the recent leak of classified documents about United States intelligence gathering efforts, particularly as they relate to the war in Ukraine. The information in the leak paints a bleak picture of Ukraine’s continuing capabilities, particularly in air defense.
In my work for Patrick, the Massachusetts Air National Guard and Army National Guard were part of my portfolio; the governor, of course, was the ultimate boss of the Guard but, as is typical, delegated many of his relevant duties. This meant that I worked with the state’s adjutant general on matters as varied as budgeting, facilities construction, pre-positioning resources for an expected hurricane, and the deployment of personnel to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Based on my experience, I am at a loss to explain why a 21-year-old member of the state intelligence wing, who does not appear to have been working in any federal capacity, would need access to the kind of materials whose release has so unnerved the Pentagon and supporters of the Ukrainian war effort.
Friends of Teixeira have told reporters that he shared secrets to mainly show off; the Biden administration has downplayed the consequences. Yet the release of the information is a serious crime—and could be a symptom of a broader problem.
Juliette Kayyem, “I oversaw the Massachusetts Air National Guard. I cannot
fathom how this happened,” The Atlantic, April 13, 2023
Kayyem is now a senior lecturer in International Security at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Her concerns are probably being felt by tens of thousands in the national security arena.
Is the military lying?
When the Pentagon was asked to comment about why such a young, inexperienced airman had access to such high-level secrets, they said that young military personnel are often given important access to national security.
But, really, a low-level start national guard employee?
Juliette Kayyem smells a rat and does not believe the stories,
The National Guard, to be sure, is an essential part of America’s defense capabilities. It protects our homeland and can be called into federal service by the president. But, under normal circumstances, it works to address state public-safety needs as identified by a governor—whether those be civil unrest, security for a large-scale sporting event, or hazards posed by adverse weather.
State Air National Guard units have their own intelligence capabilities; an enemy could come by air, and sometimes errant flying balloons appear over U.S. soil. But it stretches any notion of homeland defense to think a low-level state Air Guard member should have access to materials about a war that the United States is not actively fighting and that poses no domestic risk.
I speak with profound admiration for the National Guard’s work. But if news reports are correct, the breadth of materials that Teixeira could view is unreasonable and unnecessary. If he took advantage of that access, that is his fault. But we are a nation that grants almost indiscriminate access to high-level intelligence, and that is our fault.
Juliette Kayyem, The Atlantic, April 13, 2023
In short, what she is saying is that she does not believe a word that the military is saying out his having access to high-level security documents.
This reeks of the Russians — not the Chinese. They have been infiltrating our elections and the Defense Department since 2015, and it is time to declare a war or sorts on them — figuratively, not literally.
Again, not a conspiracy theorist, but no ways did this guy come across these documents on his own.
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