President Joe Biden on Friday directed the military and intelligence community to initiate measures to further secure sensitive information after classified material was mishandled.
In April, sensitive materials were discovered on Twitter, 4Chan, and Telegram, appearing to originate from the social media platform Discord. Some of the documents unveiled the United States’ concern over Ukraine’s war against Russia, along with intelligence showing that Washington has spied on Israel and South Korea.
The sensitive information has embarrassed the military and intelligence community by shedding light on material that apparently contradicts the communication delivered to the American public.
“I commend the rapid action taken by law enforcement to investigate and respond to the recent dissemination of classified U.S. government documents,” Biden said.
“While we are still determining the validity of those documents, I have directed the military and intelligence community to take steps to further secure and limit distribution of sensitive information, and our national security team is closely coordinating with our partners and allies,” he added.
The alleged leaker of the information has been accused of “unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material.” Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday the charges are associated with “very serious penalties.”
Biden’s order to initiate additional security measures comes after the United States has undergone a series of leaks in the past year. A Supreme Court draft decision reversing Roe v. Wade was leaked to the press and published. CNN reported only about 90 people would have had access to the document. The identity of the leaker remains unknown.
In January, news broke that Biden stole classified information from the Obama administration and stored the information at the Penn Biden Center and his home in Delaware.
At least $54 million was donated by Chinese Communist Party-linked individuals or entities to the Penn Biden Center between 2014 and 2019, raising concerns about who might have had access to the classified documents stored in an unlocked closet, according to Biden’s former assistant, Kathy Chung.
Following the revelations, Garland appointed special counsel Robert Hur to investigate the scandal.
Notably, the classified document scandal was leaked to CBS News on January 9, weeks after the initial trove was found by Biden’s personal lawyers in November. The establishment media have reported at least three times that Biden and the DOJ agreed to hide the scandal from public view with likely no plans to disclose it.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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