BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member who caused an international uproar when he 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 acknowledged he knew his actions were illegal but felt he needed to share the truth about how the Biden administration was misleading the American public about the war in Ukraine.
“If I saved even one American, Russian or Ukrainian life against this senseless money-grab war, my punishment was worth it,” he said, his politicized comments a stark contrast to the contrite apology he issued at his federal sentencing.
Teixeira suggested that he, like President Donald Trump, was a victim of a weaponized Department of Justice. Teixeira, who 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 then called on Trump and members of 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.”
“I am comfortable in how history will remember my actions,” he added.
Military wanted to send a message
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 written reprimand and a demotion in rank for him.
Teixeira, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, was already 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, following his arrest in the most consequential national security breach in years.
Military prosecutors said before the court-martial at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts that charges of disobeying orders and obstructing justice were appropriate given that obeying orders is the “absolute core” of the military.
In pressing for a harsher sentence, prosecutors Thursday said Teixiera was intent on obstructing the FBI from finding the truth and was scared because he knew he had done something wrong. Defense attorneys argued for leniency, saying a toxic culture at his base, poor training and a lack of supervision contributed to his actions.
But after the sentence, prosecutors said they felt the dishonorable discharge still sent a powerful message.
“The dishonorable discharge was the important issue for us because I think it accurately reflects what his actions were, what his crimes were,” Lt. Col. Peter Havern said after the court-martial. Havern talked about how they worked closely with the Department of Justice on the case.
“There was a piece of it where we said we need a military punishment as well, and that is why the dishonorable discharge was important to us as an institution to tell our airmen, to tell our the civilians and Americans we take this very seriously,” he said. “We are going to make sure your military record reflects it for these actions. We are not just going to rely on a civil conviction.”
A plea agreement was accepted by both sides that drops the disobeying orders charge. Teixeira pleaded guilty to the obstruction charge, admitting that he used a hammer to destroy a cellphone, a computer hard drive and an iPad after seeing news reports of the leaked documents. He also admitted to telling his friend to destroy messages exchanged on a communication app.
“I was scared about a potential law enforcement investigation into me and my friends,” he said in court Thursday.
Parents still support their son
As the sentencing phase began, Teixeira’s father Jack Teixeira, who goes by the same name but with a different middle initial, described his son as “a good kid, energetic, intelligent and quirky.”
When his son decided to join the military, “I was excited about it,” the elder Teixeira said. ”It was a good option for Jack.” Asked about whether the conviction changed his feelings for Teixeira, his father said: “I love my son. I would do anything for him.”
His mother, Dawn Dufault, described how they were a military family and how her son was passionate about all things military from an early age.
She admitted basic training for Teixeira was a disappointment since it happened during the pandemic and how an ever-changing schedule for Teixeira, who as part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, left him “discombobulated.”
But she also said the conviction hadn’t changed her feelings fo her son. “He made a mistake,” she said. “Everyone makes mistakes. He’s my son, I love him. He deserves a second chance.”
Leaks revealed secret assessments of Ukraine war
The leaks exposed to the world unvarnished secret assessments of Russia’s war in Ukraine, including information about troop movements in Ukraine, and the provision of supplies and equipment to Ukrainian troops. The documents also revealed assessments of the defense capabilities of Taiwan and internal arguments in Britain, Egypt, Israel, South Korea and Japan. Teixeira also admitted to posting information about a U.S. adversary’s plans to harm U.S. forces serving overseas.
Teixeira worked as an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks. His lawyers described Teixeira as an autistic, isolated individual who spent most of his time online, especially with his Discord community, and never meant to harm the U.S.
The security breach forced the Biden administration to scramble to try to contain diplomatic and military fallout. The leaks also embarrassed the Pentagon, which tightened controls to safeguard classified information and disciplined members found to have intentionally failed to take required action about Teixeira’s suspicious behavior.
