US says some materials in intelligence leak are ‘doctored’ 

The White House on Monday said it is taking a leak of classified information from the Pentagon about the war in Ukraine and other matters seriously, but cautioned that much is still unknown, including whether the leak is contained and how much of the documents are legitimate.

John Kirby, a spokesperson on national security issues, told reporters that President Biden was first briefed late last week when word first emerged that there were classified documents circulating on social media. He has been updated throughout the weekend, Kirby said, and the U.S. has communicated with relevant allies and partners about the leaks. 

But Kirby otherwise reiterated that the administration is still working to answer basic questions about who or what is responsible for the leak of classified information.

“We know that some of them have been doctored. I won’t speak to the validity of all the documents … We’re still working through the validity of all the documents we know are out there,” Kirby said.

“I think we just need to be careful right now speculating or guessing what might be behind or who might be behind a potential leak here of classified information. We need to let the process sort of bear itself out,” Kirby added.

Asked if the leak is contained or if there are more documents that may still be released, Kirby said, “We don’t know. We truly don’t know.”

Late last week, a batch of classified documents that detailed U.S. briefing materials and were marked “secret” appeared on social media platforms, including Twitter and Telegram. 

The documents show details on the U.S. assessment of the war in Ukraine, including plans for building up the Ukrainian military ahead of a planned counteroffensive, as well as insight into Russian military planning.

The leaks also include sensitive material related to Canada, China, Israel and South Korea.

The Department of Defense is reviewing the scope of the leak, and the Justice Department is leading an investigation into the source.

Kirby stressed the administration is taking the leak “very seriously,” and he more broadly condemned the release of sensitive information into the public domain.

“There is no excuse for these kinds of documents to be in the public domain,” Kirby said. “They don’t deserve to be in the public domain.”