The Air Force suspended two leaders of suspected classified document leaker Jack Teixeira’s unit, it said in a statement Wednesday, one week after the unit stopped performing its intelligence mission amid an investigation into the leaks.
The commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron, part of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in which the 21-year-old Teixeira served, was suspended from his leadership position, as was the detachment commander overseeing administrative support, the Air Force said. The two officers have also lost their access to classified systems and information.
Teixeira faces charges under the Espionage Act after allegedly posting classified intelligence – including sensitive information on the war in Ukraine – to the social media platform Discord in a series of leaks that revealed the scope of US intelligence gathering on both its allies and adversaries. He is expected to appear in court Thursday for a detention hearing.
The suspensions are temporary pending completion of the Air Force’s Inspector General investigation into the leaked documents, and commanders are taking appropriate actions as new information becomes available as part of the investigation, said Ann Stefanek, a spokesperson for the Air Force.
Investigators from the inspector general’s office arrived at the base on Tuesday, Stefanek said.
“The commander of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, has suspended the commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron pending further investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of classified information,” Stefanek told CNN.
“Additionally, the detachment commander overseeing administrative support for Airmen at the unit mobilized for duty under Title 10 USC has also been suspended,” she added.
“This means that both the squadron’s…
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