Pentagon leak: US President Biden says investigation will examine why leaker had classified access

As 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, accused of leaking top secret US classified documents online, was charged, US President Joe Biden said on Friday that an investigation would examine why the leaker had access to these classified documents. Speaking to reporters as he ended his Ireland trip, President Biden said,“Yes, I’ve instructed the Department to make sure that they get to the root of why he had access in the first place, number one. And, number two, to focus extensively on the extent to which it all occurred. And that’s going on right now. I have nothing to report beyond what’s already been reported,” the news agency Reuters reported.

“Well, there’s no way to predict how long an investigation will take, but I don’t think it’s going to take very long. I think we’re getting to the bottom quicker than…,” Biden added.

Earlier on Friday, the US president released a statement, commending the action taken by authorities on Teixeira’s arrest in the leak case.

"While we are still determining the validity of those documents, I have directed our military and intelligence community to take steps to further secure and limit distribution of sensitive information, and our national security team is closely coordinating with our partners and allies," the statement said.

Jack Teixeira, a member of the US National Air Guard, was arrested from his residence on Thursday and was charged with unlawfully copying and transmitting classified material. US Attorney General Merrick Garland saidthat the 21-year-old was arrested in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorised removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defence information.

Teixeira made his initial appearance in a crowded federal court. During the hearing, Boston's top federal national security prosecutor, Nadine Pellegrini, requested that Teixeira be detained pending trial, and a detention hearing was set for Wednesday (April 19), Reuters reported.

The leaked documents were believed to be the most serious security breach in the US since more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2010. On Thursday, the Pentagon called the leak a "deliberate, criminal act."

(With inputs from agencies)

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