Pentagon Leaker Jack Teixeira Wants To Be Released While Trial Awaits

Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guard member and accused Pentagon leaker, has challenged a judge's decision to keep him in custody, per Al Jazeera.

Teixeira's lawyers have argued that the judge's ruling is inconsistent with the pretrial release of former President Donald Trump and others charged in high-profile cases involving classified documents.

A magistrate judge determined in May that Teixeira should remain behind bars due to concerns about flight risk and potential obstruction of justice.

Teixeira's defense team has now filed court papers requesting a different judge to reverse this decision.

The defense lawyers have contended that Teixeira lacks the financial means and motivation to flee and have asserted that the government has exaggerated his risk to national security.

They pointed out that prosecutors did not seek to detain Trump or his co-defendant, Walt Nauta, in their federal classified documents case, despite their substantial resources and potential ability to flee the country.

Teixeira's lawyers argued that the contrasting approach in these cases highlights the government's weak justifications for keeping Teixeira in detention.

They noted that both Teixeira and Trump are charged under the Espionage Act.

Both Jack Teixeira and Donald Trump Plead Not Guilty to Their Charges

Accused Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira entered a plea of not guilty last month to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information, with each count carrying a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, Yahoo! News noted.

Similarly, former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to numerous felony counts related to the alleged hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and his refusal to comply with government demands to return them.

While Trump was not required to surrender his passport, prosecutors deemed him not to be a flight risk.

The magistrate judge did instruct Trump to refrain from discussing the case with specific witnesses. Trump has consistently denied wrongdoing and criticized the prosecution as politically motivated.

Teixeira, a resident of North Dighton, has remained in custody since his arrest in April following charges related to a significant intelligence leak.

His defense lawyers have proposed that he be released to his father's custody, with strict home confinement, location monitoring, and no internet access.

The Pentagon Leaked Documents

Jack Teixeira's trajectory within the Air National Guard is outlined, starting with his enlistment in September 2019 and culminating in obtaining a top-secret security clearance by 2021, according to charging documents.

However, the Justice Department claims that the alleged Pentagon leaker's behavior took a concerning turn around January 2022.

During this time, he allegedly accessed, copied, and shared sensitive information within the online gaming community Discord.

The charging documents indicate that Teixeira transcribed classified information or captured images of records to disseminate online.

The leaked information from the Pentagon included details about Ukraine's efforts to defend against a full-scale Russian invasion, which began in February 2022.

Among the documents reportedly leaked were specifics about Ukraine's air defenses, casualty figures, updates on US aid, and information about Russian espionage activities.

Additionally, the records contained intelligence related to US military interests in other regions worldwide.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Jack Teixeira's attorneys argue he should be freed - just like former President Trump - From CBS Boston