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A member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard who leaked classified Pentagon information has been jailed for 15 years.

Jack Teixeira shared documents that contained information about the war in Ukraine on the messaging platform Discord.

The leak exposed information about troop movements in Ukraine, and the provision of supplies and equipment to Kyiv’s soldiers.

He began sharing the documents in 2022, Sky News’ US partner network NBC News reported, and had held top-secret security clearance since the year before.

Teixeira pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of wilful retention and transmission of national defence information following his arrest in the most consequential national security case in years.

Wearing an orange jumpsuit, he showed no visible reaction as he was sentenced by US district judge Indira Talwani.

Before being sentenced, he apologised for his actions, saying: “I wanted to say I’m sorry for all the harm that I brought and caused.”

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He referenced the “maelstrom” he created and added: “I understand all the responsibility and consequences fall upon my shoulders alone and accept whatever that will bring.”

Afterwards, Teixeira, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, hugged one of his lawyers and looked toward his family and smiled, before being led away.

Jack Teixeira, a member of the US Air National Guard.
Pic: Reuters
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Jack Teixeira, a member of the US Air National Guard. Pic: Reuters

The security breach raised alarm over America’s ability to protect its most closely guarded secrets and left the Biden administration scrambling to try to contain the fallout.

The leaks were also embarrassing for the Pentagon which tightened controls and disciplined members who failed to take necessary action over the 22-year-old’s suspicious behaviour.

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A court sketch of Teixeira.
Pic: AP
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A court sketch of Teixeira. Pic: AP

Assistant US attorney Jared Dolan said Teixeira’s sentencing would “be a cautionary tale for the men and women in the US military”.

Teixeira’s own lawyers said that while his actions were criminal, they were never intended to “harm the United States”.

A smashed tablet recovered from bins near Teixeira's home.
Pic: AP
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A smashed tablet recovered from bins near Teixeira’s home. Pic: AP

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“Instead, his intent was to educate his friends about world events to make certain they were not misled by misinformation,” the lawyers claimed.

Prosecutors in court said he tried to cover his tracks as they found a smashed tablet, laptop and Xbox in a rubbish bin at his house.

Teixeira, who was part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, worked as a cyber transport systems specialist – an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks.

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Trump considering Ron DeSantis for defence secretary – as current pick faces controversy

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Trump considering Ron DeSantis for defence secretary - as current pick faces controversy

Donald Trump is reportedly considering making Florida governor Ron DeSantis his defence secretary – and ditching his embattled current selection.

The US president-elect had initially announced his intention to nominate Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon, but there is reportedly doubt that he could clear the vote in the Senate needed to be appointed.

Mr Trump’s picks for his cabinet have attracted controversy and there has been speculation that some might struggle to be confirmed.

Matt Gaetz, his initial pick for attorney general, previously announced his withdrawal from the process.

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Trump pick stays silent on past behaviour

Two sources familiar with the decision-making process told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News that DeSantis, once a rival in the Republican presidential race, could be chosen to replace Mr Hegseth.

Mr DeSantis is “very much in contention”, according to one source.

NBC News reported Mr Hegseth’s nomination was in jeopardy after at least six Republican Senators were wavering in their support.

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Mr Hegseth, a Fox News host, has attracted controversy over claims of excessive drinking, financial mismanagement and improper behaviour.

An article in the New Yorker magazine reported that the allegations led to him having to quit leadership roles in two separate non-profit organisations for military veterans.

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The pair clashed during the race to be the Republican presidential nominee.

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Mr DeSantis pulled out of the contest to be the Republican nominee for president in January after falling well behind Mr Trump in the primary campaign.

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Donald Trump files motion to dismiss hush money case and set aside conviction due to election victory

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Donald Trump files motion to dismiss hush money case and set aside conviction due to election victory

Donald Trump has filed a motion to dismiss the hush money case in which he was convicted due to his victory in the US presidential election.

In May, a New York jury found Mr Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to commit election fraud.

It was the first time a US president had been convicted of or charged with a criminal offence.

Mr Trump had tried to cover up “hush money” payments to a porn star in the days before the 2016 election.

When Stormy Daniels‘ claims of a sexual liaison threatened to upend his presidential campaign, Trump directed his lawyer to pay $130,000 (£102,000) to keep her quiet.

A judge delayed Mr Trump’s scheduled 26 November sentencing indefinitely last month to give him the chance to seek dismissal.

A dismissal would erase Mr Trump’s historic conviction, sparing him of a criminal record and possible prison sentence.

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The judge could also decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Mr Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option.

The president-elect’s lawyers argue having the case loom over his four-year presidential term that begins on 20 January would cause “unconstitutional impediments” to his ability to govern.

Prosecutors have until 9 December to respond.

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Starmer on relationship with Trump

The filing references the pardon Joe Biden issued to his son on Monday, in which the president said Hunter Biden was “unfairly prosecuted” on gun and tax charges.

Mr Trump’s lawyers said: “President Biden argued that ‘raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice’. These comments amounted to an extraordinary condemnation of President Biden’s own DOJ [department of justice]”.

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The Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “has engaged in ‘precisely the type of political theatre’ that President Biden has condemned”, the filing added.

“This case is based on a contrived, defective, and unprecedented legal theory relating to 2017 entries in documents that were maintained hundreds of miles away from the White House where President Trump was running the country.”

The district attorney’s “disruptions to the institution of the presidency violate the presidential immunity doctrine because they threaten the functioning of the federal government,” the filing said.

The prosecutors’ “ridiculous suggestion that they could simply resume proceedings after President Trump leaves office, more than a decade after they commenced their investigation in 2018, is not an option,” the filing claimed.

Mr Trump’s lawyers also claimed the case should be thrown out because of his “extraordinary service” to the US, adding that his “civil and financial contributions to this city and the nation are too numerous to count”.

The president-elect has said he intends to nominate the lawyers who wrote the filing – Todd Blanche and Emil Bove – to top jobs in the justice department, which they criticise in the documents.

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JonBenet Ramsey: Unsolved 1996 killing of six-year-old girl still being investigated, police say

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JonBenet Ramsey: Unsolved 1996 killing of six-year-old girl still being investigated, police say

The unsolved killing of a six-year-old beauty pageant queen is still a priority for investigators, police have insisted.

JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family home in Colorado in 1996, a case revisited in a three-part Netflix series.

Her killer has never been found, and the police department for the city of Boulder refused to answer questions on Monday about any tips they’re investigating.

“It’s obvious that the Boulder Police Department wants to solve this case and the only reason is to bring justice to the victim,” they told Sky’s US partner network NBC News.

The force instead referred to a video statement shared by police chief Steve Redfearn, in which he said officers “would love nothing more than to bring justice to her memory”.

Police outside the home in January 1997. Pic: AP
Image:
Police outside the home in January 1997. Pic: AP

That statement was made on the day after Netflix released Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramset, which has renewed interest in the killing that made global headlines.

JonBenet was found on Boxing Day several hours after her mother Patsy called police about a ransom note that had been left behind.

The girl’s father John found her that afternoon and carried her upstairs, ruining the integrity of the crime scene and sparking criticism of the police force’s handling of the case.

Details of the crime and footage of JonBenet competing in pageants propelled the case into one of the highest-profile mysteries in the US.

John and Patsy Ramsey, the girl's parents, pictured in 2000. Pic: AP
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John and Patsy Ramsey, the girl’s parents, pictured in 2000. Pic: AP

“There are a number of things that people have pointed to throughout the years that could have been done better, and we acknowledge that is true,” Mr Redfearn said last week.

“However, it is important to emphasise that while we cannot go back to that horrible day in 1996, our goal is to find JonBenet Ramsey’s killer.

“Our commitment to that has never wavered.”

While the girl’s family lived under a cloud of suspicion for years, prosecutors apologised to her parents and brother in 2008 and cleared them of any involvement.

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The Netflix series doesn’t point the finger at anyone, but does highlight her father’s hope new DNA testing might solve the case.

JonBenet’s mother died of cancer in 2006 aged 49.

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