Suspect in Pentagon Leak Wants Judge to Release Him Pending Trial

(AmericanProsperity.com) – Lawyers of the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who was accused of leaking classified documents filed an appeal on July 17 of a judge’s order to keep him in jail. They said that their client Jack Teixeira has the right to receive the same treatment as other defendants that have been accused in national security cases. The lawyers cited the case of former President Donald Trump, as they claim he wasn’t kept in jail like the 21-year-old man.

Teixeira, who lived in North Brighton, has been in jail since April after authorities arrested him on charges stemming from leaking Pentagon’s top-secret material. A judge ruled in May that the Massachusetts Air National Guard member had to be kept in jail as the case was playing out. The judge added that Teixeira was “disloyal” to the country, pointing out that releasing him would represent a risk. He explained that authorities believe that Teixeira might attempt to obstruct justice or escape from the United States once he’s out of jail.

In court papers, Teixeira’s attorneys argued that the 21-year-old man has no incentive or “financial ability” to escape from the country. They also claimed that the government “overexaggerates” their client’s risk to national security. As reported by The Washington Times, the filed appeal cites not only Trump but also the cases of a former Air Force veteran and FBI agent who were kept out of jail.

The appeal also points out that the house of Teixeira’s father is “specially equipped” for the 21-year-old man to say during pretrial proceedings. It also says that every entrance of the house is properly watched by a camera that would monitor Teixeira at every moment. Teixeira’s attorneys even argued that their client is “very close” with his parents, noting that they posted their homes as a bond for their son’s case.

The 21-year-old man is accused of sharing top-secret material about the Ukraine-Russia war and other classified national security topics on social media. Different reports said he started to share these documents in January with other social media users.