An exclusive report by the Washington Post painted a picture late Wednesday of the man behind the leaks and offered insight into how the leaks came to be. The report was primarily sourced by information provided by a teen who first met the leaker online four years prior in a server for fans of the YouTuber Oxide.
A second individual who was part of the same online community corroborated the teen's remarks under the condition of anonymity. The Post was also provided with some 300 images of classified documents, chat records and an audio recording that captures the source of the leaks speaking with his companions.
In one video viewed by the outlet, the leaker was reportedly seen at shooting range, shouting racial and antisemitic slurs before discharging his firearm.
The teenager relayed to the outlet that the leaker, identified in the retelling as 'OG', initially began writing his own reports of the classified information and sharing the files into their own, smaller group chat for a period of several months. He would also use the opportunity to teach the group about military jargon.
The minor explained that while the chat became a pandemic refuge filled with memes and offensive jokes, 'OG' used the platform to keep the users "in the loop" about world affairs and government operations.
However, as 'OG' grew tired of his reports being sidelined in the chat, he eventually opted for sharing pictures of the classified documents instead. “He got upset, and he said on multiple occasions, if you guys aren’t going to interact with them, I’m going to stop sending them," the teen said.
“I was one of the very few people in the server that was able to understand that these [documents] were legitimate,” the teen recalled. “It felt like I was on top of Mount Everest. ... I felt like I was above everyone else to some degree and that … I knew stuff that they didn’t.”
While members were aware that the shared information wasn't meant for outside eyes, photos shared by 'OG' would inevitably be passed onto another online group unbeknownst to the so-called 'tight-knit' group of friends. It was noted that the documents were shared by another teen.
It wasn't until the New York Times published their first report on the Pentagon leaks that 'OG' appeared to reportedly grow uneasy about his actions. The teenager cited by the Post described 'OG' as having been "frantic," adding that he "seemed very confused and lost as to what to do."
"He’s fully aware of what’s happening and what the consequences may be," the minor said. "He’s just not sure on how to go about solving this situation. … He seems pretty distraught about it.”
However, the teenager steered clear of comparing 'OG' to the likes of whistleblower Edward Snowden.
“I would definitely not call him a whistleblower," the teen said. "I would not call OG a whistleblower in the slightest."
In one of his final messages, 'OG' went on to tell the online group to "keep low and delete any information" that would tie them back to him. The teen further stated that he had no intention of revealing the true identity of 'OG' or his location as he was his "best friend."
Since the trove of sensitive documents began to surface online, the Pentagon has been operating on high alert in an effort to clamp down on the unauthorized releases. The US Department of Justice on Monday started a criminal investigation on the leak as officials launched an "interagency effort" to get ahold of the situation.
Leaked documents have touched on a variety of topics, ranging from the Ukraine conflict to tensions with South Korea over military aid, as well as matters sensitive matters in China and the Middle East.