Retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax Wednesday that having the Department of Justice investigate the recent leak of classified military documents should raise a "red flag" that the public and Congress will not get the answers about the case they deserve.
"When we found out that Justice Department was going to, in fact, be investigating these leaks and not the [Department of Defense] itself, that alone should be a red flag for all Americans," Holt said during "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE" Wednesday. "Because the Justice Department perpetually just walks in and, in front of Congress, flouts them and says, 'We don't have to answer your questions because it's an ongoing investigation.' And the way they can keep this one sealed is it's just never closed the investigation, even if they send the airman to prison."
Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeria, 21, was arrested at his home in the state April 13 by FBI agents allegedly for leaking a trove of classified military documents online, The Associated Press reported at the time.
The information technology specialist was charged Friday in U.S. District Court under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of classified national defense information. He has not entered a plea yet.
"These are very grave circumstances, the material being released," Holt said. "We need to discuss what that intel actually is because we're looking down the barrel of World War III, and we're looking at a national security team that is proving every second its incompetence and how it imperils us."
According to the AP, the materials released from the leak include the mapping of Ukrainian military positions, assessments of Ukraine's war with Russia, and when Russian President Vladimir Putin might decide to launch a nuclear weapon.
The news outlet said the materials were authenticated by U.S. officials, and it had independently reviewed about 50 of the documents.
Holt said the release of the materials, some of which have intelligence that likely came from the U.S. spying on some allies and friends as well as enemies, further erodes the U.S. standing in the world, especially after the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal.
"This started a long time ago because confidence and trust in the United States was eroding very fast at the end of Afghanistan," he said. "We just cut and run on our allies without even telling them that we were doing so in the manner that we were doing."
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