A Pentagon team continues to assess the veracity of the photographed documents
The US Government has addressed the shocking revelations that classified Pentagon documents have now been leaked online. Chris Meagher, Assistant to the Secretary of Defence for Public Affairs, addressed the media over the weekend.
“We’ve been processing this information all weekend and wanted to give you the latest regarding photos of the purported documents that are now online as part of what appears to be an unauthorised disclosure of classified material,” Meagher said. “As I’m sure you can imagine, I’m very limited in what I can say but we wanted to give you as much of an update as possible, and then I’m happy to take your questions for a few minutes.
The Department of Defence’s highest priority is the defence of the nation and our national security. While the Department wouldn’t get into the validity of the purported documents posted online, a Pentagon team continues to review and assess the veracity of the photographed documents that are circulating on social media sites and that appear in some cases to contain sensitive and highly classified material.
Meagher went on to explain that the photos appeared to show documents similar in format to those used to provide daily updates to senior leaders on Ukraine and Russia-related operations, as well as other intelligence updates. He mentioned that some of the images appeared to have been altered and that the Department of Defence was working closely with the White House and interagency partners to assess the impact these photographed documents could potentially have on U.S. national security and on allies and partners.
“We’re still investigating how this happened, as well as the scope of the issue. There have been steps to take a closer look at how this type of information is distributed and to whom,” Meagher said.
He continued to provide more details, mentioning that the Secretary of Defence had been briefed on the unauthorised disclosure on the morning of April 6th and had been receiving updates throughout the day. He also mentioned the establishment of a cross-department effort to assess potential impacts and engage with allies and partners, as well as the referral of the matter to the Department of Justice for a criminal investigation.
“Finally, I’d just want to encourage you to be mindful not just about the impact of reposting these photos but of the reporting around the photos and remind you to be mindful of reporting carefully on this subject,” Meagher said. “Disclosure of sensitive classified material can have tremendous implications not only for our national security but could lead to people losing their lives. The Secretary and Department of Defence and the United States government take this apparent unauthorised disclosure extremely seriously and this is a top priority for us.”
Meagher concluded his statement, and the room filled with a flurry of questions from reporters. He did his best to provide additional information within the constraints of what he could disclose, but many of the questions remained unanswered as the Department of Defence continued to investigate the unauthorised disclosure of classified material.
Tags: The PentagonUS
