Ukraine leaks give Biden big headaches at a bad time
President Joe Biden embarks on a tour of Ireland on Tuesday, but problems elsewhere may weigh heavily on his mind during the trip.
Reports emerged late last week that classified U.S. documents about the war in Ukraine had leaked on social media. Though some of the documents appear to be altered, they included maps and charts of Ukraine, where troops are concentrated, and what weapons are available to them.
“The American people need to know, and deserve to know, that we’re taking this very seriously,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday. “There is no excuse for these kinds of documents to be in the public domain. … We’re going to get to the bottom of this.”
But the documents were first posted online as early as January and moved to a larger group and March before being widely circulated by a Russian propaganda account on Telegram last Wednesday, leading to questions about the White House's level of attention to detail.
"Is the White House concerned about the period of time that elapsed from when [the leaks] were posted to when they started to gain traction?" Washington Examiner reporter Naomi Lim asked Kirby.
"We're worried that the documents are out there," he answered. "They shouldn't be out there, period. That's the big worry."
Questions about the leak dominated Monday's press briefing and represent a major crisis for the Biden administration just as the president leaves for a politically sensitive foreign trip.