Esper predicts classified documents leak 'could ripple for some time'

Mike Brest

April 11, 03:33 PM April 11, 03:33 PM

The damage inflicted by the trove of classified documents released in recent days and weeks could be lasting, according to former Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

Dozens of photos of classified U.S. documents have appeared on social media platforms recently, though it's unclear the sheer volume of the leak, the authenticity of the documents, and whether the perpetrator has additional documents they plan to release moving forward. At this stage in the investigations, led by the Department of Defense and Department of Justice, there are more questions than answers.

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Esper, who served during the Trump administration, told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday that "there are multiple impacts here that could ripple for some time depending on, again, the scale and scope of this leak, and of course, we have to find out whether it is authentic."

The classified documents released include insights on the war in Ukraine and purportedly showed the United States was spying on allies like Israel and South Korea as well.

One document, labeled "top secret," provided a bleak assessment of Ukraine’s highly anticipated spring offensive. This document, from early February, warned that large “force generation and sustainment shortfalls” make it more likely that the offensive will result in only “modest territorial gains,” according to the Washington Post.

The documents also indicate Ukraine has had alarmingly low levels of Western-supplied weaponry, specifically air defense and ammunition, which have long been concerns of Ukraine.

"At the tactical level in Ukraine, this could obviously have an impact on the conflict there at the strategic level with Russia. I mean, it appears that the means by which we acquire information, those sources and methods could get affected," the former secretary added. "There are pieces of this information that are that can be remedied, right, reports on Ukrainian air defense ammunition being low, we can fix that; we can provide them additional systems, ammunition, you name it, so I'm less concerned about that."

A different document also revealed that the U.S. had information from the Russian Ministry of Defense and knew of their plans to strike Ukrainian troop positions in two locations and when, which is where Esper's concern resides. He's worried about what the Kremlin may do "about plugging up, walling up sources and methods, and did somebody jeopardize the lives of people who were on the ground helping us acquire information."

Esper also emphasized the ongoing investigations, which he predicted "will take some time," arguing that the department has to get a better understanding of the leak, how to stop it, and can then determine how to respond accordingly. Until then, he said he would "tighten the circle of people who have access to this information."

The leaked documents don't only contain details about the war in Ukraine but have also included allies like Israel and South Korea.

"The trust issue with allies may take some time to rebuild, and again, this is assuming that these reports are true or not, but it's going to take some time to rebuild, and that's what I get concerned about as well. How do you, in a world in which you know the democracies are pushing back against the autocracies — there needs to be a good degree of trust among those democracies that sensitive information won't be shared or won't be exposed to the wrong party. So that's going to take some time as well," Esper said.

South Korean and U.K. officials have said some of the released documents appear to be manipulated.

Ex-defense secretary for Trump says former president is 'unfit for office'

Rachel Schilke

November 16, 12:58 PM November 16, 12:59 PM

Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper thinks former President Donald Trump is "unfit for office" and that the GOP should look elsewhere for a primary candidate.

Esper said of Trump he "wishes he wouldn't" run for office after the former president announced his 2024 candidacy on Tuesday night in Mar-a-Lago.

"I think he's unfit for office," he said in an interview with CNN. "I thought his remarks were very subdued and uninspiring."

He added that he hopes the Republican Party will turn its attention to a different candidate rather than backing Trump again.

"I think that its time for the Republican Party, and frankly, both parties, to move on to a next generation of leaders, and particularly leaders that can unify our country and get us back to a more normal governance where we treat each other with dignity and respect, and we work on policy issues and not personal attacks," Esper said.

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Esper joins a growing list of GOP members who blame Trump for the substantial losses the party suffered in the 2022 midterm elections. Republicans, expecting a "red wave" to take over the nation, did not strike as hard as projected as the Democrats secured their majority in the Senate and gained more seats in the House than predicted.

In swing states, many Trump-endorsed candidates lost their races, including Blake Masters (R-AZ) and Don Bolduc (R-NH) for the Senate and Kari Lake (R-AZ) and Tudor Dixon (R-MI) for governor. Esper said the poor track record should be a wake-up call for Republicans, as there was "no reason" why the GOP shouldn't have had a bigger margin in the House and taken the Senate in the midterm contests.

"The election last week is an example that Donald Trump is incapable of winning elections," Esper said. "He's done more to help the Democrats than the Republicans."

The former defense secretary said the party should look at Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) as a primary candidate, calling him the "front-runner" for the Republican nomination.

"[He] is at the top of the list right now," Esper said, per the Daily Mail. "He did a great job in Florida."

DeSantis experienced several personal and state victories in last week's elections, securing reelection after beating Charlie Crist in a 20-percentage-point landslide. Florida Republicans' wins in the House, though expected due to redistricting that favored Republican candidates, were heavily celebrated. The GOP will hold 20 of Florida's 28 seats in the House.

Esper said Trump is unfit for office because he continuously puts himself before the country.

"To me, that's shortcoming number one, and then I believe he has integrity and character issues as well," he said. "I don't think he's an honest person. We saw the falsehoods that came out of his remarks last night. ... Americans need a leader they can trust."