Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy demands answers on top secret Pentagon leak

Democrat Senator Chris Murphy on Tuesday wondered why Congress was unaware of U.S. ally Egypt’s plans to give arms to Russia, as evidenced by allegedly leaked Pentagon documents.

Egypt, one of the US’s closest allies in the Middle East and a recipient of nearly $100 billion in US aid over the past 50 years, recently ordered about 40,000 missiles to be secretly shipped to Russia. A US official said they were “not aware of any implementation” of Egypt’s plan to sell weapons to Russia.

“Why didn’t Congress get—why didn’t the leaders of the Foreign Relations Committee get that information?” Murphy, D-Conn., a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, asked on CNN.

Part of the Feb. 17 top-secret document contained alleged conversations with Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi and senior military officials that referred to plans to supply Russia with artillery shells and gunpowder, according to the Washington Post.

Sisi instructed officials to keep production and shipping secret “to avoid problems with the West.”

“We have adversaries who are constantly investigating classified information and have experience releasing that information as a way to embarrass the United States,” Murphy said.

“I try to avoid the pitfall of engaging in criticizing the administration…But this is clearly a growing problem, our adversaries’ ability to get confidential or classified information and leak it as a means. of embarrassing. United States, government leaders or candidates.”

The document was part of a trove of images of classified and top-secret files posted to gamer chat app Discord in February and March.

Egypt’s ambassador to the US, Ahmed Abu Zeid and spokesman for the Egyptian foreign ministry, said that “Egypt’s position from the outset has been based on non-involvement in this crisis and a commitment to maintain equal distance with both sides while Egypt reaffirms its support for the UN Charter and international law in UN General Assembly resolutions.”

“We continue to urge both sides to cease hostilities and reach a negotiated political solution,” he said.

In another problematic development for the US, alleged leaked Pentagon documents revealed that US spies had caught Russia bragging about a new alliance with the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (right) aboard the Moskva cruiser in August 2014

Egypt, one of the US’s closest allies and a recipient of nearly $100 billion in US aid over the past 50 years, recently ordered about 40,000 missiles to be secretly shipped to Russia

Russian intelligence officers had said they convinced the UAE “to collaborate against US and British intelligence agencies,” according to documents viewed by the Associated Press.

The Emirati government on Monday rejected allegations that the UAE had cited ties to Russian intelligence as “absolutely false.”

But the report comes amid concerns that the US is ceasing influence in the Middle East to adversaries like China and Russia. Last month, China reached a surprising peace deal with Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Meanwhile, the White House admitted Monday that it doesn’t know if more Pentagon documents about US covert foreign operations will leak.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that an investigation is underway and that so far they have few answers to the question of how a large cache of highly classified Pentagon documents that appear to contain classified information got out. .

The documents also reveal how Ukraine’s S-300 air defense systems could run out of missiles and ammunition by May 2 in current use, as published online in recent days.

The documents also describe how Ukraine’s air defenses could protect Ukrainian troops on the front lines “completely reduced” on May 23 and suggested the US has a better handle on Russia’s war strategy than that of its ally Ukraine.

Kirby was asked if the Pentagon was bracing for further leaks. “The truth and the honest answer to your question is: we don’t know,” he said. And is that a concern for us? You are absolutely right.’

“We don’t know who is behind this, we don’t know what the motive is,” he added. Kirby said that as officials went through documents posted online, at least some appeared to have been “manipulated.”

Kirby made a futile attempt to urge reporters not to report on the contents of the secret documents.

“This is information that has nothing to do with the public domain,” he said firmly. “It has no place… on the front pages of newspapers or on television.”

The Ministry of Justice has now launched a criminal investigation into the possible release of the ‘Top Secret’ documents, which mainly relate to the state of the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s air defenses could be exhausted in weeks, leaving the country vulnerable to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fighter jets, newly leaked Pentagon documents show.

These are two of the leaked documents shared by the New York Times

A first batch of documents labeled “Secret” and “Top Secret” — reportedly featuring charts about the war in Ukraine and the strengths of various battalions — first circulated on Twitter and Russia’s Telegram channels last month.

And a new set of more than 100 Pentagon documents — this time also detailing U.S. national security interests on areas like China and Israel’s Mossad spy agency — were shared on Twitter on Friday, the New York Times reported.

The authenticity of the documents remains in question, as experts suggest they may have been altered or used as a misleading information campaign to suit Russia’s agenda, including reducing casualties.

Under the “Total Assessed Losses” section, a document lists 16,000-17,500 Russian casualties and up to 71,000 Ukrainian dead. General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said publicly last November that Russia has lost “more than” 100,000 soldiers, and Ukraine has lost about that much. And those estimates have continued to rise in recent months, though officials have stopped providing more exact numbers.

“We’re afraid these documents are there… They shouldn’t be there, period,” Kirby said in Monday’s briefing.

The leaks also suggested that Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency, secretly encouraged protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his planned judicial reforms last month. Netanyahu’s office, which oversees Mossad, denies the allegation.