Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) shocked many when she announced she was standing with 21-year-old Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who is accused of leaking classified documents showing maps and other key information around Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other national security secrets.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump Jr. similarly came out in support of Teixeira. So far, however, it appears Greene is on a political island among her fellow Republican lawmakers, Politico reported Wednesday.
"Jake Teixeira is white, male, christian (sic), and antiwar," Greene said in a tweet on April 13. "That makes him an enemy to the Biden regime. And he told the truth about troops being on the ground in Ukraine and a lot more. Ask yourself who is the real enemy? A young low level national guardsmen? Or the administration that is waging war in Ukraine, a non-NATO nation, against nuclear Russia without war powers?"
After an outcry from some in her party, she pulled back a little, telling Steve Bannon on his show that she wasn't saying there shouldn't be consequences but that more national security secrets around Ukraine should be revealed publicly.
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Over the weekend, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was firm in his rebuke of Greene, calling what she said "irresponsible."
“If you’re a member of the military intelligence community and you disagree with American policy and you think you’re going to be OK when it comes to leaking classified information, you’re going to go to jail. It’s one of the most irresponsible statements she could make," he said of Greene.
He went on to explain that leaking secrets made American soldiers "less safe" and could impact U.S. foreign relations.
“There is no justification for this,” Graham said. “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.”
Even Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) described Carlson and Greene as "on an island" alone over their belief what happened was a good thing.
“Unfortunately, they’re on an island of influence. But there’s not a lot you can do about that," Cramer lamented.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) called it a "crime" and said he could never support "someone committing a crime."
Similarly, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) called the leak "a crime." Hawley has been opposed to supporting Ukraine financially, voting against the budget allocation that was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.
“It’s a separate conversation whether a lot of this stuff is over-classified — that’s probably true. And it’s a separate conversation about whether or not this administration has misled the public about what’s happening in Ukraine — that’s probably true,” Hawley told Politico.
The idea that the information Teixeira revealed should be public is "fair enough, but is the way he did it the right way to do it? No."
Lawmakers will get their first classified briefing Wednesday on what all was revealed, though it's unclear if that will include an intelligence impact assessment as well.
There has been an ongoing conversation among lawmakers about the overclassification of documents after a set of documents were found at the homes of former Vice President Mike Pence and President Joe Biden. White House documents taken by Donald Trump, however, fall into a different category.
