Senior Biden administration officials are trying to quell anger among foreign allies over a spate of documents that have surfaced online allegedly showing top secret intelligence from the Pentagon.
Dozens of documents have leaked online purporting to show U.S. intelligence involving the war in Ukraine and the governments of several of the United States’ close allies. The Pentagon has refused to confirm or deny the authenticity of the leaks, though it has partnered with the Department of Justice to investigate the documents. The purported security breach has riled and concerned other countries about the safety of intelligence in U.S. hands, according to The New York Times.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a press conference Tuesday that they had been in contact with officials from other countries to “reassure them.”
“We have engaged with allies and partners at high levels over the past days, including to reassure them about our own commitment to safeguarding intelligence and, of course, our commitment to our security partnerships,” Blinken said.
Austin said that investigators have not yet pinpointed when the leak may have taken place or to what extent U.S. intelligence may have been compromised.
“The documents that we are aware of are dated the 28th of February, 1st of March. I don’t know if there are other documents that are, that have been online before. These are things that we will find out as we continue to investigate,” he said. “We will continue to investigate and try to determine the full scope of the activity.”
The documents have suggested some explosive claims involving multiple governments, such as Israel’s intelligence agency, the Mossad, involved in instigating protests against the Israeli government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has denied the allegations, calling them “mendacious.”
Another document suggested that a NATO coalition group of special forces operators were in Ukraine. The group allegedly involved troops from the U.S., France, and several other countries. France has denied having any troops on the ground in Ukraine.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol has been on the defensive against attacks from South Korea’s opposition party on Yoon’s relationship with the U.S. after the documents purported to show that the U.S. government had spied on South Korea. Yoon has said that the relationship with the U.S. is “strong,” but believes that “the Korean public is really upset that the U.S. is not trusting South Korea.”