(Headline USA) Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member who caused an international uproar when he leaked highly classified documents about the war in Ukraine, pleaded guilty to military charges of obstructing justice at his court-martial Thursday and called himself a “proud patriot.”
In a 10-minute address, Teixeira said he was “exposing and correcting the lies that were perpetrated by President Biden and force-fed to the American people” about the war in Ukraine.
“I believe the Department of Justice was politicized against President Trump and myself,” added Teixeira, who said he acted alone. He called on Trump and members of his administration to reverse his convictions.
“If I saved one American, Russian or Ukrainian life in this money-grabbing war, my punishment was worth it,” he said.
Whistleblower Jack Teixeira gave a 10-minutes speech in court today, explaining why he leaked secret Pentagon records about the Ukraine war.
“If I saved one American, Russian or Ukrainian life in this money-grabbing war, my punishment was worth it,” he said.STORY BELOW
🧵 https://t.co/kzjho8ktL2— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) March 13, 2025
The plea agreement calls for dishonorable discharge and no jail time. The judge approved the plea agreement, but had not addressed his sentencing yet, which was expected to occur later Thursday afternoon.
Teixeira pleaded guilty to the obstruction charge, admitting that he used a hammer to destroy a cellphone, a computer hard drive and an iPad after seeing some news reports of the leaked documents. He also admitted to telling his friend to destroy messages exchanged on a communication app.
“I was scared about a potential law enforcement investigation into me and my friends,” he said in court Thursday.
As the sentencing phase began, Teixeira’s parents said he took an early interest in the military as a child. His father, also named Jack Teixeira, described him as “a good kid, energetic, intelligent, and quirky.”
When his son decided to join the military, “I was excited about it,” the elder Teixeira said. ”It was a good option for Jack.” He said it gave him direction and the chance to see the world.
“He made a mistake,” his mother, Dawn Dufault, said. “Everyone makes mistakes. He’s my son, I love him. He deserves a second chance.”
Thursday’s military tribunal hearing comes after Teixeira was already sentenced in federal court last year to 15 years in prison. In federal court, he pleaded guilty to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act, following his arrest in the most consequential national security breach in years.
Among other revelations, Teixeira’s disclosures showed that the U.S. has boots on the ground in Ukraine, the U.S. the Biden administration spied on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and that the war there was going worse for Ukraine that officials were saying publicly—while shoveling more than $100 billion toward that effort.
The leaked documents also revealed assessments of the defense capabilities of Taiwan and internal arguments in Britain, Egypt, Israel, South Korea and Japan. Teixeira also admitted to posting information about a U.S. adversary’s plans to harm U.S. forces serving overseas.
Teixeira worked as an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks. His lawyers described Teixeira as an autistic, isolated individual who spent most of his time online, especially with his Discord community, and never meant to harm the United States.
Instead of being hailed as a whistleblower for exposing Biden’s lies and malfeasance, mainstream media outlets and Democrat politicians have accused him of being a traitor. The New York Times and government-funded publication Bellingcat went as far as help the FBI identify Teixeira as the alleged leaker.
Since then, the FBI has reportedly been visiting the homes of people who posted stories about the leaked Pentagon documents in an “intimidating” attempt to remove such content from the internet.
The judge presiding over Teixeira’s case also issued an unconstitutional order for reporters and other third parties to destroy Teixeira’s sentencing memorandum, which was apparently inadvertently filed on the public court docket when it was supposed to be sealed. The judge rescinded her unconstitutional order a day later.
Ken Silva contributed to this report.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.
