Lawyers say Teixeira should be released before his trial, just as former US President Trump was in his impeachment trial.
A member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard accused of leaking classified military documents has pleaded not guilty the judge’s decision to remain in prison, pointing to the release of former President of the United States Donald Trump and others accused of high-profile crimes.
A judge in May ordered Jack Teixeira, 21, to remain in jail while his trial continues. In his ruling, the judge found that Teixeira could pose a risk of flight or obstruction of justice. Teixeira’s lawyers are now asking another judge to overturn the sentence.
In court papers on Monday, defense lawyers said Teixeira had no money or motivation to flee and said the government was “grossly exaggerating Mr Teixeira’s risk to national security”.
Teixeira’s lawyers noted that prosecutors did not want to arrest Trump — or his attorney. Federal classified documents caseWalt Nauta – even the former president and his valet “have amazing ways to escape the United States”.
“Former President Trump and The Trump Organization have assets in several foreign countries, and former President Trump has access to airplanes. However, the threat of flight due to his knowledge of national security information, and his ability to flee, did not even result in a request for a passport. theirs,” Teixeira’s lawyers wrote.
They said the “different approach” in these cases shows that the government’s claims of keeping Teixeira in prison are “false”. Both Teixeira and Trump are charged under the Espionage Act.
Teixeira pleaded not guilty last month to six counts of willfully withholding and disseminating national security information. Each is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Trump has also denied multiple lawsuits accusing him of storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and resisted government demands to return them.
Although Trump was not required to surrender his passport – as prosecutors say he does not appear to be a flight risk – a judge ordered the former president not to discuss the matter with other witnesses.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and attacked the case as politically motivated.
Teixeira has been in jail since his arrest in April on charges stemming from the most famous tip in decades.
His lawyers have said he should be released from his father’s custody and mostly stay at home and monitor the site and not use the internet.
Teixeira is accused of sharing documents about Russia’s military operations in Ukraine and other sensitive national security topics on Discord, a social network popular with online gamers.
Officials say Teixeira, who joined the Air National Guard in 2019, began sharing military secrets with Discord users around January. At first they wrote classified documents and then they started sharing pictures of files that had the labels “secret” and “top secret”.
Teixeira worked as a “cyber engineer” – specifically an IT specialist responsible for military networks.
Officials have not elaborated on what they think might be the case, but those on a private Internet forum where the documents were leaked have identified Teixeira as. highly motivated by bravado more than thoughts.
The judge’s decision to lock up Mr. Teixeira came after Justice Department lawyers disclosed in court a history of Internet harassment.
He wrote in November that “he will kill a [expletive] many people” if he had his way, because it would be “removing weak minds”.
Prosecutors also said he could have undisclosed material, which could be “very valuable to hostile countries that would give him safe harbor and try to escape to the United States”.
Teixeira’s lawyers wrote that there is no evidence that their client “has ever carried out his online speech or endangered anyone in his community”.
He added that there is no evidence that Teixeira is so important that a foreign enemy would allow him to be taken out of the country.