Days after classified U.S. documents on the war in Ukraine surfaced on social media, the Pentagon and Justice Department are scrambling to figure out how they got there, what damage they could cause and whether any more might be on the way.
To recap: A small number of secret military documents were found on Twitter and Telegram on Wednesday, and researchers and social media sleuths have since discovered more on other sites — some posted as early as March 1.
The documents viewed by NPR appear to be briefing slides — put together daily for top Pentagon and national security officials — focused on Ukraine, with maps and charts pertaining to their troops and weapons, national security correspondent Greg Myre told Morning Edition.
Their discovery comes as Ukraine prepares to launch a counteroffensive sometime this spring, and it's not yet clear what kind of impact the new material could have on the trajectory of the war.
While there's still a lot we don't know, former Justice Department "leak czar" Brandon Van Grack says national security damage has certainly been done.
"The only debate now is how much damage there was and the threat is still live," he says. "We don't know if the individual or individuals still have access to classified information and whether there could be additional leaks, and so right now this has to be the top priority."
Van Grack held multiple national security-focused roles at the Justice Department, including leadingthe investigation into Edward Snowden...
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