Amna: It's being described as
the most serious intelligence
leak in years.
Dozens of pages of classified
material are spreading online,
after being originally posted on
a gaming platform.
Officials are investigating the
origin of the leaks and the
impact of information meant to
be secret about the war in
Ukraine, Russian forces, and
even U.S. Spying on American
allies.
Nick schifrin is here to give us
details.
Good to see you.
Let's start with what we know.
What is in the documents and how
concerned are U.S. Officials?
Nick: There is serious concern
about the u.s.'s relationship
with allies that are mentioned
in the documents and about the
front line in Ukraine.
Let's talk about Ukraine first.
We reviewed 53 of these
documents dated from late
February and early March mostly.
We will not provide all the
details, but slides that seem to
be prepared for the chairman of
the joint chiefs of staff reveal
an extraordinary level of detail
about Ukraine's coming
counteroffensive.
Which Ukrainian brigades will be
ready for the counteroffensive,
when, and with which weapons, by
fate.
-- Date.
Many of those brigades will be
trained by the U.S., by allies,
on that vehicle there.
The level of detail is what is
concerning U.S. Officials.
It could give Russia information
about these brigades that are
being trained on the Bradley and
others that Russia could convert
into some kind of battlefield
advantage.
Although there are former
generals that doubt that might
happen.
The second thing to have
concerns about his Ukrainian
shortages.
Again, with great detail, these
slides detail exactly when
Ukraine will run out of
soviet-era air defenses.
And that is why U.S. Officials
are rushing a constellation of
western air defenses, U.S.,
German, and Swedish air
defenses.
In response Ukrainian officials
have been largely vague about
these leaks, as you would
expect.
But an advisor to zelenskyy says
our strategic decisions have
already been made, but we could
adjust if we need to.
Amna: What to these documents
show about what the U.S. Knows
about Russian capabilities?
It is not exactly paint a great
picture.
Nick: Not at all.
It reveals how much information
the U.S. Has about Russian war
plans.
One details as the U.S. Shared
with Ukraine details of an
upcoming Russian offensive
before Russia launched that
attack.
Intercepted communications
reveal especially about bakhmut.
The private military contractor
Wagner waging war in bakhmut.
The U.S. Intercepted
communications in bakhmut that
revealed they were going to nato
ally turkiye to ask them for
weapons and also asking --
offering Haiti security
assistance.
One slide reveals Russian
casualties killed and wounded
could be 230,000.
We largely knew that, but some
versions of that particular
document online have a lowered
number, revealing that somebody,
perhaps Russia, was doctoring
these documents after they were
leaked.
Amna: You mentioned information
about the U.S. Spying on our own
partners.
What do we see in these
documents?
Nick: That U.S. Spies on some of
its closest partners.
So let's take a look at some
examples.
One, Ukraine.
It definitely surveilled
Ukraine's leadership.
Two, the U.S. Intercepted
conversations within south
Korea's national security
council about whether he will
send artillery to Ukraine.
And the U.S. Intercepted
communications with mossad,
Israel's spy agency, and that
Israel has been asking the U.S.
To conduct joint operations
against Iran, something that at
least publicly we did not know
until now.
Amna: What about the origin of
the leak, what do we know?
Nick: The U.S. Officials say
they do not know much.
Take a listen to John Kirby,
spokesman of the national
security council, earlier today
answering a collection about the
leak's seriousness.
>> We do not know what is out
there.
We do not know who is
responsible for this.
And we do not know if they have
more that they intend to post.
So we're watching this and
monitoring it as best we can.
But the truth an honest answer
to question is we do not know.
Is that a matter of concern to
us?
You are darn right it is.
Nick: An organization did find
the first leak on the gaming
platform discord.
>> Just a bunch of mostly
teenagers, mostly young men who
just like to play call of duty
and halo and stuff together.
The documents that have surfaced
are just the tip of the iceberg.
I do not know exactly how many
is out there, but I have heard
the word hundreds, that there
are hundreds of other documents
that were taken by the leaker.
And put on this small discord
server.
Nick: Investigators will also
take a look at documents
themselves.
They are photographs of
documents.
On these papers you can see the
top the level of classification.
Also an object apparently on the
desk behind.
Already defense officials are
looking at restricting some of
the people who have access to
this.
Amna: A lot more questions to
answer.
Nick schifrin, thank you.
So, how damaging could the
release of these secret
documents be on the war effort
in Ukraine, and on U.S. Military
cooperation with allies around
the world?
For that, we turn to retired
lieutenant general Doug lute.
He served on the national
security council staff during
both the George W. Bush and
Obama administrations.
He was also U.S. Ambassador to
nato during the Obama
administration.
He had extensive experience on
the joint staff at the Pentagon
where many of these leaked
documents originated.
You have been in countless
briefings were this kind of
information has been handled
coming from the intelligence arm
of the joint staff.
How tightly held is that
information?
Gen. Lute: Typically they would
be produced by intelligence
staff in the Pentagon and
briefed on a routine basis.
Even five days a week.
Especially when there is an
ongoing conflict.
It is exceptionally unusual that
they would be disseminated in
official channels beyond that.
So, this is a set of documents
which appears to be those that
are most tightly kept within the
Pentagon itself.
Amna: Does the fact it is so
tightly kept make it easier in
some way to figure out the
origin of the leak?
Gen. Lute: Perhaps.
But I think it is too early to
tell.
Amna: I want to ask you about
some of the comments that
contents.
We heard -- about some of the
contents.
Could this give Russian forces
an advantage in the war?
Gen. Lute: Nick outlined well
the tactical impact and damage
that is done by these documents.
And in particular I would be
concerned about the level of
detail for the units that are
being prepared with new
equipment, fresh training and so
forth.
Being prepared for the upcoming
Ukrainian offensive.
And if the Russians are able to
piece together which units with
which equipment, and eventually,
locations inside Ukraine, they
might be able to detect,
essentially deduce, conclude the
main attack, the main effort of
the upcoming offensive.
That would be very tactically
damaging.
Amna: You also heard Nick's
reporting about the degree to
which the U.S. Has been spying
on its own allies and partners,
information on president
zelenskyy, conversations between
the U.S. And south Korean
officials, intelligence reports
about Israel.
Could those damage the
relationship the U.S. Has with
those nations and intelligence
sharing efforts with them?
Lt. Gen. Lute: I think most of
our allies and partners
understand that we collect on a
broad range of intelligence
targets, to include in some
cases, them.
I do not think that will come as
a big surprise.
However, I think the damage here
is the loss of trust and
confidence among allies and
partners.
So, will the Ukrainians, for
example, be reluctant, or less
revealing to us because they
fear that such documents could
be linked?
What about others who are
providing support to Ukraine?
Some of them do not wish their
support to be made public.
So this lack of trust and
confidence, this erosion among
allies and partners, could be
the big strategic impact of the
leaks.
Amna: How worried are you there
could be more sensitive
information that U.S. Officials
have not yet detected, published
out there somewhere else?
Lt. Gen. Lute: I think they
simply do not know what they do
not know at this point.
These documents were dated, as
Nick said, some weeks ago.
So it's difficult to know
whether they are in the interim
period they had been additional
leaks.
So I think the investigation
will just have to play itself
out.
Amna: What about the possibility
of someone inside the Pentagon
providing that information?
Is that a concern?
Lt. Gen. Lute: I think it is a
concern because this is where
the documents originated.
But it is too soon to lay any
blame or point any fingers.
Amna: Retired lieutenant general
Doug lute.
Always good to see you.
Thank you for your time.
♪♪