US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has acknowledged that US officials have no clue as to who leaked classified Ukraine-related documents but vowed that his department would "turn over every rock" to find the source of the unauthorized release.
“Now, I can’t say much more while the Justice Department’s investigation is ongoing. But we take this very seriously,” Austin said during a news conference. "We will turn over every rock until we find the source of this, and the extent of it.”
The Pentagon chief underscored that the agency would work alongside allies and partners to get to the bottom of the leak before reiterating to the media that investigators have no concrete evidence as to a culprit.
"It was somewhere on the web… where exactly and who had access, we don’t know," Austin told reporters. "We simply don’t know at this point."
Austin noted that while the Defense Department was aware of the leaked documents dated February 28 and March 1, it remains unknown whether there are other documents that had been uploaded online prior.
It was further pointed out that Ukraine has "much of the capability" needed to be successful in its military efforts despite the Pentagon leaks releasing information regarding the embattled nation's military shortfalls.
Similar sentiments were later relayed by CIA Director William Burns during remarks at the Rice University's Baker Institute. "The deeply unfortunate leak of classified documents is certainly as intense as anything... it's something that the US government takes extremely seriously," he said at the time.
Since the leak revelations, the Biden administration has repeatedly reiterated that the US' support for Ukraine has not been affected as a result.