Airman pleads not guilty to federal charges in Leaks case
Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old Air National Guardsman accused of posting a trove of classified documents to an online chat group, pleaded not guilty to six counts of federal criminal charges on Wednesday, two months after his arrest.
Airman Teixeira, who appeared in an orange prison uniform and a fresh buzz cut, sat silently as a federal magistrate judge read him his rights before standing to say, “Not guilty, your honor,” during a 10-minute hearing in Worcester , Mass., attended by his family and dozens of media outlets.
His attorney asked the judge, David H. Hennessy, to reconsider an earlier decision to detain Airman Teixeira indefinitely without bail. But the judge rejected the request, saying circumstances have not changed since the Justice Department successfully argued that the aviator’s history of violent threats and leaks made releasing him an unacceptable risk.
His next trial, a conference to discuss the status of the case, was scheduled for early August. The next major legal benchmark will be the selection of an investigating judge, who will set a timeline for the trial – if the two sides do not first reach a settlement agreement, as has often happened in recent cases involving the illegal disclosure of government documents.
Last week, a federal grand jury indicted Airman Teixeira, who was granted a top security clearance while assigned to an intelligence unit at an Air Force base on Cape Cod, on six counts of holding and transmitting classified national defense information. If convicted, he could face up to 60 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines.
According to the indictment, Airman Teixeira allegedly mishandled documents, including a report on the hacking of the accounts of an unnamed US company by “a foreign adversary”, information on the supply and delivery of military equipment to Ukraine and a highly sensitive report on Russian and Ukrainian troop movements that may have compromised “secret resources and methods”.
Other documents included details of a foreign plot to attack US troops abroad, detailing “where and how” an attack could take place, the indictment said.
Some of the materials Airman Teixeira is accused of posting online carried the strictest classification markings, including “sensitive compartmentalized information” that could only be stored and reviewed in a protected facility.
The case includes references to numerous classified documents and procedures, which has already caused delays as both the prosecution and defense have obtained the appropriate security clearances necessary to review evidence or even interview Airman Teixeira.
Michael Bachrach, New York-based attorney for Airman Teixeira, said on Wednesday he received the necessary clearances for the materials needed for the next court hearing. The prosecution said it was likely the situation would be resolved within the next month.
Airman’s Teixeira’s lawyers argued in court that their client naively believed that the material he shared with fellow users on Discord, a social media platform popular with gamers, would not be redistributed, even though some of his online friends lived in Abroad.
He smiled and greeted relatives who were sitting together in the corner of the courtroom.
“We remain as committed as ever and our entire family continues to support Jack fully and unwaveringly as he faces this matter,” Jen Reed, a representative for Airman Teixeira and his family, said in an emailed statement. “We realize there is still a long way to go.”
Airman Teixeira’s lawyers did not respond to reporters’ questions as they exited the fifth-floor courtroom.