Lindsey Graham calls Marjorie Taylor Greene's comments on document leak suspect 'irresponsible'

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called statements made by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) defending the suspected leaker of U.S. intelligence documents "irresponsible."
On Thursday, 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested in connection with the leak, and later charged with possessing classified documents pertaining to national security and possessing national defense materials. The material included top-secret documents on the war in Ukraine and intelligence gathered on Israel and South Korea.
Greene, a member of the House's Homeland Security Committee, tweeted that the suspect is "being treated like a traitor and criminal," and accused the Biden administration and Department of Defense of "acting like criminals."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This is "one of the most irresponsible statements she could make," Graham said during an interview with ABC News' This Week on Sunday, adding, "If you're a member of the military intelligence and you disagree with American policy and you think you're going to be okay when it comes to leaking classified information, you're going to go to jail." Military members are "less safe" because of the leak, he continued, and "there is no justification for this. And for any member of Congress to suggest it's okay to leak classified information because you agree with the cause is terribly irresponsible and puts America in serious danger."
On Fox News Sunday, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said the suspect is being called "a traitor" by some and "a hero" by others, but "neither side has the information or the data to be able to make that decision yet, because there's been no investigation, and we haven't even had our first classified briefing, which will happen later this week when we're back in session."
The Senate Intelligence Committee will also open an investigation into the leak, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. The committee has focused "intensely on how we keep our secrets safe," she stated. "And I have a lot of questions about why were these documents lying around. Why did this particular person have access to them? Where was the custody of the documents, and who were they for? We need to know the facts. We need to know who this airman was, why he felt he had the authority or ability to show off confidential documents, secret documents to his friends."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábgego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war
-
Trump's 100-day approval ratings at historic low
Speed Read Americans appear to be wary of Trump's sweeping tariffs and handling of the economy
-
Judge blocks key part of Trump's elections overhaul
Speed Read Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's decision temporarily bars federal officials from requiring Americans to prove they are citizens to register to vote