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RandySF

(84,263 posts)
Wed Apr 12, 2023, 11:06 PM Apr 2023

Leaker of U.S. secret documents worked on military base, friend says

The man behind a massive leak of U.S. government secrets that has exposed spying on allies, revealed the grim prospects for Ukraine’s war with Russia and ignited diplomatic fires for the White House is a young, charismatic gun enthusiast who shared highly classified documents with a group of far-flung acquaintances searching for companionship amid the isolation of the pandemic.

United by their mutual love of guns, military gear and God, the group of roughly two dozen — mostly men and boys — formed an invitation-only clubhouse in 2020 on Discord, an online platform popular with gamers. But they paid little attention last year when the man some call “OG” posted a message laden with strange acronyms and jargon. The words were unfamiliar, and few people read the long note, one of the members explained. But he revered OG, the elder leader of their tiny tribe, who claimed to know secrets that the government withheld from ordinary people.

The young member read OG’s message closely, and the hundreds more that he said followed on a regular basis for months. They were, he recalled, what appeared to be near-verbatim transcripts of classified intelligence documents that OG indicated he had brought home from his job on a “military base,” which the member declined to identify. OG claimed he spent at least some of his day inside a secure facility that prohibited cellphones and other electronic devices, which could be used to document the secret information housed on government computer networks or spooling out from printers. He annotated some of the hand-typed documents, the member said, translating arcane intel-speak for the uninitiated, such as explaining that “NOFORN” meant the information in the document was so sensitive it must not be shared with foreign nationals.

OG told the group he toiled for hours writing up the classified documents to share with his companions in the Discord server he controlled. The gathering spot had been a pandemic refuge, particularly for teen gamers locked in their houses and cut off from their real-world friends. The members swapped memes, offensive jokes and idle chitchat. They watched movies together, joked around and prayed. But OG also lectured them about world affairs and secretive government operations. He wanted to “keep us in the loop,” the member said, and seemed to think that his insider knowledge would offer the others protection from the troubled world around them.





https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/04/12/discord-leaked-documents/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

19 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Leaker of U.S. secret documents worked on military base, friend says (Original Post) RandySF Apr 2023 OP
Saw this shanti Apr 2023 #1
Guns, Gear, and God. By invitation only. Bristlecone Apr 2023 #2
This message was self-deleted by its author Bristlecone Apr 2023 #3
OG is a traitor. roamer65 Apr 2023 #4
1, 2, 3 Toast. BootinUp Apr 2023 #5
Discord leaker was a racist anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist gamer showing off to teenagers Nevilledog Apr 2023 #6
I would like to know who thought BootinUp Apr 2023 #9
Hope we find out. Nevilledog Apr 2023 #11
OG comes across as a raging... keets Apr 2023 #17
Bullshit on OG's "God".. just Cha Apr 2023 #7
Where's he going, to crash at Snowden's pad? UTUSN Apr 2023 #8
Life imprisonment without parole. AZ8theist Apr 2023 #10
At the very least. nt yaesu Apr 2023 #13
I was looking up an article on a band PlutosHeart Apr 2023 #12
WAPO thinks racist psychos are "charismatic" FelineOverlord Apr 2023 #14
. RandySF Apr 2023 #15
So did they catch the traitor OG? poli-junkie Apr 2023 #16
Oh my shanti Apr 2023 #18
And why is he described as"charismatic"? jeffreyi Apr 2023 #19

Response to RandySF (Original post)

roamer65

(37,953 posts)
4. OG is a traitor.
Wed Apr 12, 2023, 11:25 PM
Apr 2023

Plain and simple.

He’s going to jail just like Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen.

Nevilledog

(55,079 posts)
6. Discord leaker was a racist anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist gamer showing off to teenagers
Wed Apr 12, 2023, 11:27 PM
Apr 2023

BootinUp

(51,320 posts)
9. I would like to know who thought
Wed Apr 12, 2023, 11:52 PM
Apr 2023

he was a good choice to have access to this information.

AZ8theist

(7,370 posts)
10. Life imprisonment without parole.
Thu Apr 13, 2023, 12:47 AM
Apr 2023

In solitary confinement. He can play games with himself.

PlutosHeart

(1,445 posts)
12. I was looking up an article on a band
Thu Apr 13, 2023, 01:21 AM
Apr 2023

when they were in Russia performing years ago. the band has a nice dark edge and could be mistaken for almost military. Although they are anti-all that.
On that page was a gaming link that I thought was odd. It made reference to things and images I thought were sort of MAGA like/think. Nazi/W Supremecy. So I clicked it and it took me to what I thought was basically brain washing and violence. And I suspect that journey could have easily gone to groups and other things.

I am old. Sometimes stupid. But that was an eye opener to how deep this crap goes in recruiting.

jeffreyi

(2,571 posts)
19. And why is he described as"charismatic"?
Thu Apr 13, 2023, 03:32 PM
Apr 2023

I can think of some obvious adjectives, looking at his photo, (which is now everywhere), and "charismatic" ain't one of them...

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