A former member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, who is accused of stealing and sharing classified Pentagon records online, is now seeking his release from pretrial detention. The defendant’s lawyers have drawn a comparison between his case and that of former President Donald Trump, who is currently free while awaiting trial for similar charges.
On Monday, Jack Teixeira’s attorneys appealed the pretrial detention order imposed on him by Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy, arguing that he is not a flight risk or a threat to obstruct justice. They contend that Teixeira, a 21-year-old with limited means and no connections outside of Massachusetts, lacks the capacity to flee or sustain himself if he were to escape.
The government prosecutors allege that Teixeira leaked classified information about U.S. interests abroad, including details about the war in Ukraine. He has been charged under the Espionage Act, but maintains his innocence.
While prosecutors argue that Teixeira’s previous access to classified materials poses a risk to national security, his defense team refutes this claim. They state that no evidence has been found to suggest that he still possesses any top-secret information, despite thorough searches of his parents’ residences.
In their filing, Teixeira’s lawyers specifically compare his case to that of Donald Trump, who is facing similar charges. They point out that Trump and his codefendant were not subjected to pretrial detention, and their release was limited to certain conditions. The defense argues that the government’s different treatment of these cases proves the weakness of their argument for Teixeira’s detention.
Unlike Trump, Teixeira is accused of transmitting classified information, rather than just retaining it. However, the scale of the allegations against him is much larger than any accusations made against the former president.
Teixeira’s lawyers also claim that any platforms on which he shared information, including the Discord group, are likely no longer active. They assert that he does not pose a serious risk to national security because he lacks both the means and ideological desire to harm the United States. They also note that Trump, despite having access to sensitive information, is not being held in detention.
– Kathryn Watson and Melissa Quinn contributed reporting.
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