White House spokesman John Kirby encouraged the media to downplay the leaking of classified records that pertained to Israel, South Korea, Ukraine and other countries.
During the White House briefing on Monday, Kirby also warned the press that more secrets may be leaked due to the “nightmare” US cybersecurity debacle.
Kirby also claimed that some of the documents, indicating the US surveillance of close allies, are “doctored.” However, he didn’t specify which ones.
The White House spokesman then went on to claim that other documents might contain real but sensitive information that are unsuitable for publication on the “front pages of newspapers or on television.”
“We don’t know who’s responsible for this. And we don’t know if they have more than they intend to post. So we’re watching this and monitoring it as best we can,” Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, said in a statement.
“But the truth and the honest answer to your question is, we don’t know. And is that a matter of concern to us? You’re darn right it is.” Kirby added.
The spokesman also claimed that “Without confirming the validity of the documents, this is information that has no business in the public domain. It has no business, if you don’t mind me saying, on the pages of — the front pages of newspapers or on television. It is not intended for public consumption, and it should not be out there.”
“We urge all of you to be very careful about how you report on his story, since we know at least in some cases, that information was doctored.” The Biden administration’s spokesman continued.
According to the reports, some of the most damaging documents allegedly revealed Ukraine’s military vulnerabilities in the war against Russia. They also allegedly included information released by an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, showing the specific details that forced the country to change its military plans ahead of an anticipated counteroffensive.
In an exclusive report by the New York Post, it was also revealed that “The documents also mention Zelensky’s interest in launching military attacks inside Russia, which the documents said could be used by China as a pretext to arm Moscow. In addition, documents also contain pot-stirring details damaging to the US relationships with Israel and South Korea.”
“One document attributed to the CIA says that Israel’s Mossad spy agency has been stoking large protests by secular Israelis against the government of conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose office slammed the report as ‘mendacious and without any foundation whatsoever,’” the report added.
