Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C) called Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) “irresponsible” on Sunday for defending Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old Air National Guardsman who was arrested last week for leaking classified Pentagon files.
“It is not okay. If you’re a member of the military intelligence community and you disagree with American policy, and you think you’re going to be okay when it comes to leaking classified information, you’re going to go to jail,” Graham told ABC News on Sunday. “It’s one of the most irresponsible statements she could make.”
Teixeira’s arrest comes after Pentagon files, including detailed intelligence assessments of the state of the war in Ukraine were leaked online.
Hours after the arrest, Greene—a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and a vocal opponent of US’ efforts to help Ukraine fight against Russia’s invasion—claimed on Twitter that Teixeira was targeted by the Biden administration because he is “white, male, christian, and antiwar” and suggested that the Biden Administration was the “real enemy” for helping Ukraine to fight Russia.
“What they’re suggesting will destroy America’s ability to defend itself,” Graham said. “That it’s OK to release classified information based on your political views. That the ends justify the means. And for any member of Congress to suggest it’s OK to leak classified information because you agree with the cause is terribly irresponsible and puts America in serious danger.”
