How did a young Air National Guardsman, Jack Teixeira, allegedly get hold of some of the nation’s top military secrets and classified documents and then, for over a year, post them online without being stopped?
PBS Frontline and The Washington Post investigate what went wrong with one of the worst cases of a breach of national security in recent years in the documentary The Discord Leaks.
It was one of the biggest leaks of government secrets in U.S. history: more than 300 pages that included highly classified information from secret Pentagon assessments of the war in Ukraine, to revelations about Iran’s nuclear program, Chinese aircraft carriers and the killing of ISIS terrorists.
The leaked documents, which came to light in April 2023, were posted on the gaming and chat platform Discord, allegedly by 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, who had managed to get a security clearance despite a troubled past.
The eye-opening documentary sheds light on this embarrassing situation for the Pentagon and raises questions about how the nation’s military secrets are secured. But it also shows how easy it is to post material online that puts the nation at risk.
FRONTLINE and The Washington Post reveal in great detail Texeira’s online world, and his history of violent threats, racism and conspiracy theories. The investigation raises tough questions about how the military’s vetting process addresses applicants’ internet activity, how Discord polices hate speech on its platform, and why the alleged leaker — who has pleaded not guilty — wasn’t stopped sooner despite multiple red flags.
To illustrate the extent of the leaked material, FRONTLINE and The Washington Post used images of classified documents in this film that had been previously released in news reports, on social media and elsewhere on the internet.
Guest:
Shane Harris is the Washington Post Intelligence and National Security Reporter.
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This interview was recorded on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.
