Trump Suggests Biden Leaked Pentagon Documents

Former President Donald Trump suggested that President Joe Biden is responsible for the leaked classified Pentagon documents posted online and widely shared across social media.

The documents contain sensitive material—including U.S. intelligence updates and information on the Russia-Ukraine war. This week, the Department of Justice and Pentagon announced investigations into the source of the leak and how the documents were shared online.

Calling it "the worst leaks" in U.S. history, Trump baselessly blamed Biden: "Our Country has never been so embarrassed, and yet they come after 'Trump' on their old and tired Boxes Hoax," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. "The Special 'Prosecutor' should investigate Biden, maybe he was the leaker? Nothing would surprise me about this group!"

Newsweek has reached out via email to Trump and Biden representatives for comment.

The documents went viral on various social media platforms, including 4Chan, Telegram and Twitter, but government officials are still unsure where they originated. CNN reported that the documents first appeared on Discord. Newsweek could not independently verify this.

On Monday, it was confirmed that the documents did "contain sensitive and highly classified material," Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Chris Meagher told the media. However, "Some of these images appear to have been altered," Meagher added.

At least one of the documents was "crudely edited," investigative news outlet Bellingcat first reported last week.

While Trump and his followers suggested Biden was the leak source, others questioned if Russian intelligence agencies were behind it. One expert told Newsweek that the documents could have been released by Russian intelligence for "psychological impact."

The leak publicized potential vulnerabilities in Ukraine's air defense and detailed Kyiv's NATO allies' aid ahead of a planned counteroffensive. The leak also raises concerns about allies' trust in sharing information with the U.S.

Trump's social media post isn't out of the ordinary. He has been consistently critical, often baselessly, of his Democratic rival.

This year, the former president speculated on what the Chinese spy balloon captured, while sharing a view of an America plagued by a migrant crisis, supply-chain issues and soaring crime rates, dubbing the imagery, "Joe Biden's America."