Accused Pentagon leaker appeals pretrial detention order, citing Trump's release

The former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of stealing and disseminating classified Pentagon records online is asking a federal judge to set him free and reverse a previous ruling that he remain in pretrial detention. The filing draws a direct comparison to former President Donald Trump, who remains free pending trial for his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Attorneys for Jack Teixeira on Monday appealed the May detention order imposed by Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy, asking the Massachusetts Federal District Court judge to reconsider Teixeira's release, arguing the defendant is not a flight risk, poses no risk of obstruction of justice and can be released under certain conditions. 

"A 21-year-old, with a modest income, who has never lived anywhere other than his parents' home, does not have the means or capacity to flee from a nationally recognized prosecution. Mr. Teixeira has no real-world connections outside of Massachusetts, and he lacks the financial ability to sustain himself if he were to flee," his attorneys wrote Monday, "Even if Mr. Teixeira had shown any inclination to become an infamous fugitive, which he expressly has not, he simply has nowhere to go."