The Full Belmonte, 4/14/2023
“The video of armed agents arresting Jack Teixeira, clad in an olive-green T-shirt and red athletic shorts, tells you everything you need to know about the most damaging leak of US military secrets in a decade — the main suspect looks like a kid.
In the past, the concern was about disaffected intelligence employees exposing global spying campaigns (Edward Snowden) or dumping thousands of pages of State Department cables to trusted sources (Chelsea Manning).
The 21-year-old Teixeira’s story suggests a new threat: Pentagon employees barely out of their teens plumbing US networks and sharing what they find in restricted online chat groups that officials don’t even begin to know how to monitor.
That’s the picture emerging of the alleged perpetrator of an embarrassing leak that revealed intel on everything from dire US assessments about Ukraine’s ability to defend itself to China’s hypersonic missile program, as well as communications between Moscow and Beijing.
Reports indicate that Teixeira — if he did it at all — had access to sensitive military documents because of his role as a low-level IT staffer at a base in Cape Cod. And that he sent it all around to his gaming buddies in Discord chats to impress them.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has promised a review to make sure it never happens again. But stopping leaks like this won’t be nearly so easy. Did Austin even know what the popular messaging app Discord is? He certainly does now.
For years, the Pentagon focused on agents exposing secrets to foreign powers via dead drops in city parks. Then it went after hackers breaching US networks or slipping terabytes of files to adversaries on USB drives.
The latest incident suggests the US security apparatus is wholly unprepared for the next frontier: extremely online military personnel leaking the US’s most prized secrets just because they can. — Nick Wadhams [Bloomberg]
He’s from a patriotic family — and allegedly leaked U.S. secrets
Online, the suspect in the breach of dozens of classified documents took on a persona seemingly at odds with his military career
By Dan Lamothe, Evan Hill, Alex Horton and Missy Ryan
“As a newly minted member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard returned home from training, his mother took to her flower shop’s Facebook page to express pride in his accomplishments.
‘Jack is on his way home today, tech school complete, ready to start his career in the Air National Guard!’ said the post, dated June 3, 2021. It was accompanied by a photograph of a patriotic-themed balloon tied to a mailbox and emblazoned, ‘Welcome home!’
Patriotic zeal appeared common around Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira, 21, who had followed in the footsteps of numerous family members to join the military. Teixeira, slim and boyish in photographs taken in his blue dress uniform, had been assigned to manage and troubleshoot computers and communications systems for the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base, according to the Air Force.
Investigators now think there’s a more troubling, reckless side to Teixeira — and the fallout is only beginning.
FBI agents clad in body armor and carrying rifles swept across the Teixeira family residence in Dighton, Mass., on Thursday, arresting Teixeira and charging him with unauthorized removal of classified national defense information, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in brief remarks at the Justice Department. Video captured by news helicopters circling over the family home showed him at one point holding his hands behind his head under the watch of law enforcement personnel, before he was led away while wearing red athletic shorts and a T-shirt.
Teixeira has been identified as the suspected leaker of hundreds of photographs of highly classified military documents that have proliferated across the internet over the past week. The leak, probably the military’s largest in at least a decade, has revealed secrets about everything from gaps in Ukrainian air defenses to the specifics of how the United States spies on its allies and partners.
Teixeira, who used online handles that include ‘jackthedripper’ and ‘excalibureffect,’ posted the images to Discord, a chat platform popular with gamers, people familiar with the case said. Some Discord members showed The Washington Post video of Teixeira shouting racist and antisemitic slurs before firing a rifle. Like some others interviewed for this story, they spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The arrest appeared to bring to an end a weeklong mystery that both law enforcement officials and internet sleuths had attempted to unravel. The photos of documents posted online included a trail of clues, with items in the background that included Gorilla Glue, a Boston Red Sox hat, and hunting magazines.
Attempts to reach Teixeira and members of his family were unsuccessful. Senior officials with Teixeira’s unit referred questions to the Defense Department.
The crisis has blindsided the Pentagon, which did not become aware until last week that secrets had for weeks been spreading online, and forced the Biden administration to have awkward conversations with allies and partners about explosive issues. The FBI did not descend on the Teixeira home until after The Post revealed numerous details about the still-anonymous leaker on Wednesday night, and after the New York Times followed up on Thursday by naming Teixeira.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin commended the Justice Department and FBI for their “swift action in connection with this investigation” and pledged full Defense Department support for it.
The Pentagon continues to assess the damage to national security that has occurred because of the leak, he said. Each service member, Defense Department employee, and defense contractor with classified information ‘has a solemn legal and moral obligation to safeguard it and to report any suspicious activity or behavior.’
While Teixeira was relatively inexperienced in the military, he had access to highly classified military intelligence through a Defense Department computer network known as the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System, said a U.S. official familiar with the matter. The system would have allowed Teixeira to read and potentially print classified documents, though there are guidelines to handle those in accordance with the law.
Teixeira was mobilized for federal active duty last fall, said Nahaku McFadden, a spokesperson for the National Guard Bureau. It is not uncommon for troops in the National Guard to receive such orders to fill the need for specialized jobs, but since he was on active duty at the time of the alleged disclosures, he is subject to additional punishment under the military justice system.
One friend described Teixeira in an interview as patriotic, a devout Catholic and a libertarian with an interest in guns and doubts about America’s future. The friend said he met Teixeira before 2020 on a Discord server mainly focused on guns and libertarian politics, and bonded over their shared interest in Glock handguns and Catholicism….” Read more at Washington Post
The 21-year-old suspect in the Pentagon leak case is taken into custody Thursday.
Report: Thomas sold real estate to donor, didn’t report deal
By ASHRAF KHALIL
FILE - Associate Justice Clarence Thomas joins other members of the Supreme Court as they pose for a new group portrait, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. Conservative mega-donor Harlan Crow purchased three properties belonging to Thomas and his family, in a transaction worth more than $100,000 that Thomas never reported, according to the non-profit investigative journalism organization ProPublica on Thursday, April 13, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
“WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative mega-donor Harlan Crow purchased three properties belonging to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his family, in a transaction worth more than $100,000 that Thomas never reported, according to the non-profit investigative journalism organization ProPublica.
The 2014 real estate deal shines a new light on Thomas’s decades old relationship with Crow, a real estate magnate and longtime financier for conservative causes. That relationship and the material benefits received by Thomas have fueled calls for an official ethics investigation.
ProPublica previously revealed that Thomas and his wife Ginni were gifted with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of annual vacations and trips by Crow for decades — including international cruises on his mega-yacht, private jet flights and stays at Crow’s invitation-only resort in the Adirondacks. But the 2014 real estate deal is the first public evidence of a direct financial transaction between the pair.
Citing state tax documents and property deeds, ProPublica reported that one of Crow’s companies paid $133,363 for the home in Savannah, Georgia where Thomas’ mother was living, along with two nearby vacant lots that belonged to Thomas’ family members. Thomas mother remained living in the home, which soon underwent tens of thousands of dollars in renovations.
Federal officials, including Supreme Court justices, are required to disclose the details of most real estate transactions with a value of over $1,000. Thomas would not be required to report the purchase if the property was his or his spouse’s primary personal residence, but this stipulation does not apply to this purchase, which Thomas did not report.
Both Thomas and Crow have released statements downplaying the significance of the gifts, with Thomas maintaining that he was not required to disclose the trips. Crow responded to the latest disclosure with a statement to ProPublica saying that he approached Thomas about the purchase with an eye on honoring his legacy.
‘My intention is to one day create a public museum at the Thomas home dedicated to telling the story of our nation’s second black Supreme Court Justice,’ the statement said. ‘Justice Thomas’s story represents the best of America.’
Thomas’ office did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.” [AP News]
Gov. DeSantis signs Florida’s six-week abortion ban into law
By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
State Reps. Jennifer Canady, left, and Jenna Persons-Mulicka embrace after the Republican-dominated Legislature on approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, Thursday, April 13, 2023, in Tallahassee, Fla. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat via AP)
“TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature on Thursday approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a proposal signed into law later in the day by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares for an expected presidential run.
The ban gives DeSantis a key political victory among Republican primary voters as he prepares to launch a presidential candidacy built on his national brand as a conservative standard bearer.
The governor’s office said in a statement late Thursday that he had signed the legislation.
The six-week ban will take effect only if the state’s current 15-week ban is upheld in an ongoing legal challenge that is before the state Supreme Court, which is controlled by conservatives….” Read more at AP News
Florida floods
Photo: Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP
Above: People lug valuables through flood waters in the Edgewood neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., yesterday.
“Fort Lauderdale experienced the rainiest day in its history on Wednesday, which officials are calling a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event. The downpour prompted emergency rescues, forced drivers to abandon cars, closed schools and shut down the airport. Preliminary reports indicate the region recorded widespread rainfall totals of more than a foot, while Fort Lauderdale tallied about 26 inches in a 24-hour period, according to the National Weather Service. Hundreds of Floridians were housed in emergency shelters in Fort Lauderdale late Thursday as crews race to clear clogged storm drains and impassable roads. More storms could strike South Florida today with some flood warnings remaining in effect at least through this morning.” [CNN]
‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ Is Stripped Out of Florida’s Higher-Ed Reform Bill
By Eva Surovell
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
“Florida’s state senators edited out some of the most contentious provisions of a much-discussed higher-education bill advancing through the legislature on Wednesday. Lawmakers scrapped all references to ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion,’ eliminated the ability to subject professors to tenure review at any time or for any cause, and shelved language that would have given hiring authority to governing boards.
HB 999 and its complement Senate Bill 266 were first filed in February after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that changes to public higher education would be a policy priority of his this year.
In modifying the bill, Florida lawmakers signaled that some of DeSantis’s most aggressive proposals on higher education may not be realized this year.
Senators removed all of the bill’s references to ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion,’ rewriting the bill to ban curricula based on ‘theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.’ Universities would also be prohibited from using state funding to promote, support, or maintain campus programs or activities that are based on these theories, the bill states.
The bill’s sponsor said the DEI language was removed due to concerns that it could affect accreditation of some courses and programs, according to the Miami Herald.
The latest version also strips out previous language that would have banned specific majors and minors. The bill had been amended in March to bar universities from offering any major or minor that is ‘based on or otherwise utilizes pedagogical methodology associated with Critical Theory, including, but not limited to, Critical Race Theory, Critical Race Studies, Critical Ethnic Studies, Radical Feminist Theory, Radical Gender Theory, Queer Theory, Critical Social Justice, or Intersectionality.’
DEI legislation tracker
Explore maps and read descriptions and status of bills in states where lawmakers are seeking to restrict colleges’ DEI efforts.
Visit The Assault on DEI for related stories.
Most public universities in Florida offer majors or minors in gender studies, and many other disciplines and programs cover topics like race, gender, and intersectionality. Faculty and students expressed concern that these programs were at risk under prior versions of the bill.
Under prior versions of the Senate bill, tenured professors could have been subject to post-tenure review at any time or for any cause. That provision was struck Wednesday by the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Erin Grall, a Republican. Florida established a five-year post-tenure review process last year.
Despite the revisions, State Sen. Geraldine Thompson , a Democrat, stressed that she believes the bill still represents a step ‘backwards’ for the state.
Another addition to the Senate bill would give university presidents the final authority over hiring decisions for provosts, deans, and full-time faculty members. Presidents would also be responsible for assessing the performance, productivity, and employment practices of the university’s provost and deans and would be encouraged to participate in faculty reporting.
Previously, the bill would have permitted boards of trustees to make hiring decisions, allowing them to delegate that authority to presidents but forbidding them from delegating to faculty members. The new text lifts that ban.” [Chronicle of Higher Education]
Louisville shooting
“The family of the gunman who was killed after he fatally shot five people Monday at the Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, plans to have his brain tested for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, commonly known as CTE, his father told CNN on Thursday. CTE, a neurodegenerative brain disease, can be found in people who have been exposed to repeated head trauma. The family thinks he had three significant concussions during his time playing sports in middle school and high school, his father said. The testing disclosure comes as police try to uncover a motive in the mass shooting, and as more families hold vigils honoring their loved ones who were killed.” [CNN]
Minneapolis to pay $9m for Derek Chauvin misconduct claims
By Chloe Kim
BBC News
“Minneapolis has agreed to pay nearly $9m (£7.2m) to settle lawsuits filed by two black residents against Derek Chauvin.
Both residents, who were arrested in 2017, said Chauvin had pressed his knee into their necks - the same tactic that killed George Floyd three years later.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey apologised to all the victims.
He said if supervisors had fired Chauvin six years ago, Floyd would be alive.
Minneapolis City Council announced during a meeting that John Pope Jr would receive $7.5m and Zoya Code would get $1.375m (£1m).
Both lawsuits alleged police misconduct, excessive force and racism by Chauvin and other officers.
Charges against both residents, one of whom was 14 at the time of his arrest, were eventually dropped.
Police Chief Brian O'Hara told a press conference on Thursday that Chauvin was ‘a national embarrassment’ to police.
Mr O'Hara said that while the department typically recycles officer badges, Chauvin's badge will be destroyed and his badge number - 1087 - permanently removed from their system.
Mr Pope was arrested when Chauvin responded to a domestic assault report.
His lawsuit says his drunk mother called police after arguing with Mr Pope and his teenage sister for leaving their mobile phones plugged in.
It goes on to say that Chauvin struck Mr Pope in the head with a metal torch four times and kept him in a prone position.
No other officers on the scene intervened.
The lawsuit by Ms Code says Chauvin pinned his knee to her neck for four minutes and 41 seconds as she was arrested in June 2017 for allegedly trying to strangle her mother.
Minneapolis paid the Floyd family $27m in 2021 after reaching a settlement.
Chauvin is currently serving 22 years in prison for murdering Floyd and violating his civil rights after kneeling on his neck area for nine and a half minutes.” [BBC]
Alexei Navalny in ‘critical’ situation after possible poisoning, says ally
Russian opposition leader said to have had severe stomach pains, with ambulance being called to penal colony
“Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition politician, has been grappling with severe stomach pain in jail that could be the result of slow-acting poison, a close ally said on Friday.
Ruslan Shaveddinov said an ambulance was called last week to the maximum security IK-6 penal colony at Melekhovo, about 155 miles (250km) east of Moscow, where he is being held.
‘His situation is critical, we are all very concerned,’ Shaveddinov told the Guardian in a phone interview.
‘We understand that the situation must have been very bad if an ambulance was called,’ he said, adding that prison authorities refused to have Navalny admitted to hospital….” Read more at The Guardian
SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC
“Washington Commanders: Dan Snyder agreed in principle to sell the football team for an N.F.L. record of $6 billion. Meet the likely new owner, Josh Harris.” [New York Times]
Current Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder poses for photos during an event to unveil the NFL football team's new name in Landover, Maryland, on Feb. 2, 2022.
The Associated Press