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Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira to be sentenced for violating Espionage Act
Former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who admitted he illegally posted sensitive military information to online chat rooms in what prosecutors called one of the “most prolific” and “rare” government leak operations, is set to be sentenced in a Boston courtroom on Tuesday.
Teixeira, a 22-year-old Massachusetts native, pleaded guilty in March to six counts of violating the Espionage Act, acknowledging he was behind the yearlong distribution of dozens of classified government documents — including some marked “top secret” — on Discord, a social media platform. The classified documents involved in the leak touched on a number of sensitive issues, but the most notable were about Russia’s war in Ukraine, detailed troop movements and timelines for Western weapons deliveries to the war-torn country, investigators said.
Federal law enforcement arrested Teixeira at his family’s Massachusetts home after a weekslong probe into how sensitive Pentagon records were ending up online.
Prosecutors have asked a federal judge to sentence the defendant to 200 months in prison — almost 17 years — for his central role in “one of the most significant and consequential violations of the Espionage Act in American history,” one that has prompted reforms in the handling of classified information.
“The harm the defendant caused to the national security from his disclosures of national defense information is extraordinary,” prosecutors wrote in an October court filing.
For over a year, investigators said Teixeira, who had top secret security clearance as an IT worker at the Otis Air National Guard Base,accessed the classified documents illegally and either hand-copied the information or printed the records before posting the data in the Discord chat rooms. He even messaged individuals in his forums and offered to find specific information about “happenings that pertain to your country,” court records said.
The national defense information began appearing online in February 2022, but investigators didn’t link the leaks to Teixeira for over a year. Prosecutors alleged Teixeira knew his conduct was illegal and accused him of violating his oath to serve.
As the investigation into the leaks zeroed in on Teixeira’s unit, prosecutors alleged in previous court documents that Teixeira began instructing others in the Discord group to “delete all messages.”
“[i]f anyone comes looking, don’t tell them sh**,” he allegedly wrote to one user. And he told another, “Try to delete all my messages in civil discussions.”
“In the aggregate, the defendant’s criminal conduct over the course of more than a year ‘critically and negatively impacted’ the Department of Defense’s mission, endangered his fellow soldiers, other citizens, and allied governments throughout the world,” prosecutors argued last month, urging the judge to impose a heavy sentence.
Teixeira’s defense attorney, however, asked for a sentence of 11 years in prison, telling the judge, “His intent was never to harm the United States,” but to “educate his friends about world events to make certain they were not misled by misinformation.”
Revealing that Teixeira was diagnosed with autism, his lawyer wrote in an October court filing that “his motives and decisions were naïve, not nefarious.” Teixeira accepted responsibility for the admitted crimes, including by participating in an hourslong briefing with members of the intelligence community, the defense filings argued.
“The actions of Jack Teixeira are inexcusable,” the attorney wrote, describing his client not as a criminal leaker but as a misguided young person swept up in an online ecosystem. “However, Jack is still essentially a child – at the very least, a ‘youthful offender’ – who has his whole life in front of him.”
Following Teixeira’s arrest, the Air Force inspector general found that individuals in his Massachusetts unit failed to take proper action after at least four separate security incidents. Members of his unit “enabled” the leaks by not properly supervising his access to classified information, the review concluded. The Air National Guard took action against 15 individuals for “dereliction in the performance of duties” as a result of the report’s findings.
Texeira also faces charges of disobeying orders and obstructing justice in a military court martial, which are expected to be adjudicated in March.
Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.
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How to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears NFL game today: Livestream options, more
The Minnesota Vikings will take on the Chicago Bears today. The Vikings are currently 8-2, an impressive run so far this season, and will be looking to add a fourth win to their current streak after last Sunday’s 23-13 win against the Tennessee Titans. The Bears, on the other hand, are entering this game on the heels of a four-game losing streak after a tough 20-19 loss against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
Here’s how and when you can watch the Vikings vs. Bears game today, whether or not you have cable.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
The Vikings vs. Bears game will be played on Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT). The game will air on Fox and stream on Fubo and the platforms featured below.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears game without cable
You can watch this week’s NFL game on Fox via several streaming services. All you need is an internet connection and one of the top options outlined below.
Fubo offers you an easy, user-friendly way to watch NFL games on CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network, plus NCAA football channels. The Pro tier includes 200+ channels and unlimited DVR, while the Elite with Sports Plus tier adds NFL RedZone and 4K resolution. New subscribers get a seven-day free trial and all plans allow streaming on up to 10 screens simultaneously.
You can watch today’s game with a subscription to Sling’s Orange + Blue tier, which includes ESPN, ABC, NBC, and Fox. The plan offers 46 channels with local NFL games, nationally broadcast games and 50 hours of DVR storage. For complete NFL coverage, add Paramount+ to get CBS games, or upgrade with the Sports Extra add-on for additional sports channels like Golf Channel, NBA TV and NFL RedZone.
Watching NFL games, including Fox broadcasts, is simple with Hulu + Live TV, which includes 90 channels, unlimited DVR storage, and access to NFL preseason games, live regular season games and studio shows. The service includes ESPN+ and Disney+ in the subscription.
Want to watch today’s game live on your smartphone? If so, NFL+ streaming service is the solution you’re looking for. It lets you watch NFL Network and out-of-market games on mobile devices, with an upgrade option to NFL+ Premium that includes NFL RedZone for watching up to eight games simultaneously. Note that NFL+ only works on phones and tablets, not TVs.