DUBLIN (Reuters) – President Joe Biden said that investigators were trying to determine the source of the leak of top-secret U.S. documents.
The Justice Department launched a formal criminal investigation last week after the Pentagon mentioned the matter.
Some of the most sensitive details leaked allegedly relate to information about Ukraine’s military capabilities and shortcomings and US allies, including Israel, South Korea and Turkey.
Reuters has reviewed more than 50 documents labeled “Top Secret” and “Top Secret” but has not independently verified their authenticity. The number of leaked documents could exceed 100. Many countries have questioned the accuracy of some documents, including the UK, which said the information contained “substantial inaccuracies”.
Speaking during a three-day tour of Ireland, Biden said he wasn’t overly concerned about the leak.
Biden told reporters, “As you know, there’s a full investigation going on between the Secret Service and the Department of Justice, and they’re getting closer, but I don’t have an answer.
“I’m not concerned about the leak. I’m concerned that it happened, but there’s nothing co-occurring that I know of.”
The FBI’s Washington office is leading the investigation, according to people familiar with the matter.
The person who leaked the documents is a gun enthusiast in his 20s who worked at a military base, The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing other members of his group in his online chat. cause of leak
The Washington Post did not name the person, based on interviews with two members of his Discord chat group.
Discord said in a statement Wednesday that it is working with law enforcement.
Reuters could not confirm the details of the report. Its rough outline — the document was first shared on his Discord server for gun and ammunition enthusiasts who exchange often offensive jokes — was first reported by Bellingcat last week. Reuters was unable to locate any members of the now-defunct server, but the military weapons-focused YouTuber, who operates under the name “Oxide,” said some members of the group said he Said he thought it could be people picked up from the Discord of – servers excluded.
His Redditor, who claims to be in touch with members of the server, told Reuters he had a scramble to remove evidence when news of the leak broke.
Reuters was unable to immediately confirm either person’s claims, but both were consistent with other reports published elsewhere.
Some national security experts and U.S. officials suspect that the information is American, given the breadth of issues covered in the document.
Since the leaks first surfaced in March, investigators have pursued a variety of theories, ranging from someone simply handing over documents to show off their work to spies within the U.S. Intelligence Service or military. keep reading
The leak has already provoked reactions from some foreign governments.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called documents “false and unsubstantiated” alleging that Mossad intelligence services facilitated recent protests against him.
A South Korean presidential official said on Sunday that the country was aware of reports of leaked documents and planned to discuss “issues raised” with Washington.
According to the BBC, there was a document discussing how UN Secretary-General António Guterres is willing to accept Russia’s interests.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric criticized the leak himself. “(Guterres) is not surprised by the fact that people are spying on him and eavesdropping on his private conversations,” Dujarric said in a statement.
“What is astonishing is the fraud or incompetence that allows such private conversations to be distorted and made public.”
