Ukraine Document Leaker: Criminal? Hero? Or Both?
by Jon Kurpis
The leaked Top Secret documents pertaining to the war in Ukraine is a fascinating story with far reaching implications. The situation centers around a 21 year old Airforce National Guardsman named Jack Teixeira (aka the leaker). Teixeira allegedly released classified documents regarding America's role in the Ukrainian war to a small group of teenagers and young men on a private discord server generally used for gaming. It’s believed that these classified documents remained largely unviewed until an online friend of the leaker released them on a public platform. Once discovered, a massive manhunt ensued and Jack Teixeira was taken into custody recently by the FBI. This is the gist of what we know about the alleged leaker at this time.
Insofar as the released documents are concerned, they number in the hundreds and are at least in some part written/prepared by people working at the highest levels of our military/government. Of critical importance is the fact that these Top Secret documents offer irrefutable proof that the US government has been intentionally lying to the American people and to members of Congress.
These classified documents show that:
American troops are in fact on the ground in Ukraine
Ukraine is scheduled to run out of missiles and will soon be completely vulnerable to Russian air attacks.
Russia is obliterating the Ukrainian military with a horrific kill ratio between 4:1 and 7:1.
Ukraine is acting haphazardly and was in fact responsible for the attack on Belarus.
America doesn’t trust the Ukrainian government and is actively spying on them.
The leaked documents mark a pattern of egregious lies told by our government both to the people and to our Congressional representatives. Yet, despite the revelation of this intolerable conduct, Americans seem oddly fixated on secondary issues such the age of the leaker and whether or not he is a technical “whistle-blower”.
In order to keep the focus on what is most consequential, I will attempt to elucidate this moment in history based on what we know to date and through the use of objective reasoning. This will hopefully provide readers with a strong foundation from which they can build as this story progresses.
First and foremost, the technical age of the alleged leaker is only of moderate overall importance. Generally speaking, the US Military skews young with approximately 600,000 armed personnel under the age of 25. Military secrets, multi-million dollar equipment and nuclear weapons are often the responsibility of men in their early twenties. Although it’s not particularly common for a twenty-one year old to have access to Top Secret finished information of this sort, it’s also not completely out of the range of possibility. Should investigators follow up to see how and why this young man had access to such important Top Secret documents? Absolutely! But at the same time, the public should not be overly obsessed by the leaker’s young age, as it’s more of a curious indicator to follow up on than a smoking gun. If anything, the public should be asking how an internal document created at the CIA Information Center and not uploaded to a server ended up in the mix. This is far more suspicious than the leaker’s particular age.
The second thing on which people seem focused is if this leaker is a technical “whistle-blower” or not. My guess is that people are deriving one of two things from the idea of possible “whistle-blower” status.
A whistle-blower has some form of protection and could possibly be shielded from punishment.
A whistle-blower who followed a formal, accepted protocol is in some way more ethical or legitimate than a leaker who didn’t go through a government monitored process.
In order for you to not waste time going down this rabbit hole, let’s clarify both points.
From what we know so far, the alleged leaker did not go through formal channels (assuming they exist) and is unlikely to be afforded protection due to whistle-blower status. If Jack Teixeira is ultimately found guilty of the unauthorized release of these Top Secret documents, he will face criminal punishment. Should this happen, the most important thing to look for is what were the actual circumstances of the leak.
It's necessary to remember that not all leaks are the same. As a result, Teixeira’s eventual punishment (if convicted) will be dictated by the manner in which the leaks occurred. Did Teixeira attempt to sell the classified documents? Was he working at the behest of a foreign adversary? Did he release the information with the intent to harm people or members of the military? What was the extent of the damage incurred as a direct result of the leak? Were any Americans physically harmed because of the leak? Was the information leaked to a private group or did he leak it to the general public? All of these things matter and the answers to these questions will ultimately decide this young man’s fate if he is found guilty.
The second thing that needs clarification is the false notion that classified documents released from an accepted “whistle-blower” are in some way more ethical or legitimate than “a leaker” who didn’t go through a government approved process. Let’s be clear. When it comes to releasing Top Secret government information without authorization, the legitimacy and morality of the leak is NOT determined by whether the leaker went through an approved internal channel or not.
In terms of legitimacy, what matters most is this:
· Was the government lying and/or intentionally covering up something the people and/or Congress are entitled to know and of legitimate public interest?
· Was the leak sold to an enemy or done to inflict damage or cause death/destruction to America or Americans?
If the answer to the first question is YES and the second question is NO, the leak (albeit illegal) is at the same time both ethical and legitimate. It does not matter if it’s done through a proper whistle-blower protocol or in some other manner.
Bringing things full circle, if the leaker is found guilty, he is unlikely to get special “whistle-blower” treatment and will face criminal punishment. Additionally, the magnitude of the punishment and the morality of the leak is directly related to the content of the material & circumstances surrounding the leak. Lastly, the legitimacy of the leaker is not based on whether proper whistle-blower channels were followed.
Interestingly, it is also very reasonable to consider Jack Teixeira a national hero even if he is convicted of a serious leak-related crime. This is because as bad as the leak may have been, the information released exposed immense deception and illegality coming from the highest levels of the US government.
I know this may be a hard pill for many in the United States to swallow. We are generally an anti-rat society and do not play well with those who undermine America. We also respect Democracy and are willing to do our part for others.
Until this point, the good people from the United States have been willing to support our government helping Ukraine based on the fact that we have been told it’s genuinely beneficial. However, these Ukrainian document leaks have exposed an entirely different story and literally prove that we have been lied to all along. And if there is one thing people from America are sick and tired of, it’s being lied to!
The infuriating truth is the US government has wasted over 100 BILLION of OUR money on a war that they know can’t be won. Moreover, our taxdollars are prolonging a conflict where men and women are being slaughtered like fish in a barrel and who are being led to certain death by untrustworthy Ukrainian officials whom we need to spy on. And if that’s not revolting enough, we also now know that young American boots are on the ground in Ukraine as we provoke a possible nuclear war with Russia.
This is not what we have been told is occurring nor anything any reasonable person would agree to support. At the bare minimum, it’s an outrageous abuse of power and completely unacceptable conduct. US citizens and our elected members of Congress have the legal right to know the details of the deadly mess our government is championing in Ukraine. The Biden administration isn’t authorized to lie, waste billions and put our young men in harms way to play a globalist game of chicken that can’t even be won. And if the only way for us to learn the truth and potentially avoid World War 3 is through an unauthorized leak from a 21 year old Airforce National Guardsman, then it is a blessing and also makes Jack Teixeira a NATIONAL HERO even if he is eventually convicted of a crime.
~ Jon Kurpis
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