[GK3]

One thing about the leaked material to keep in mind. It’s possible intel operatives found some documents first and altered them before sending them out on their own. Who knows how much of the leaked information online is disinformation. Some of it is certainly going to be accurate or directionally true, but the odds are some of the stuff purported to be part of the leak will more than likely have been altered to mislead some intended audience. That’s why I’m personally not interested to see any of the supposedly leaked materials. If the Pentagon uses Discord for recruiting, it certainly is not out of question that it could have put out competing assessments of things to muddy the waters in an effort to mitigate the damage even while admitting there were classified materials leaked.

I have a hard time believing the Pentagon was only tipped off about it by journalists.

It would be wonderful if that in fact happened.  But I am a doubter.  Would require an awful lot of people to sign off, and many meetings to decide what to alter and what to say, but then if this has been going on for a long time, then maybe yes.  The other side of this coin is the people out there who read this (nation actors) are going to figure there is no way we are so screwed up as to allow this to happen, so they assume exactly what you suggest.

[GK3]

One thing about the leaked material to keep in mind. It’s possible intel operatives found some documents first and altered them before sending them out on their own. Who knows how much of the leaked information online is disinformation. Some of it is certainly going to be accurate or directionally true, but the odds are some of the stuff purported to be part of the leak will more than likely have been altered to mislead some intended audience. That’s why I’m personally not interested to see any of the supposedly leaked materials. If the Pentagon uses Discord for recruiting, it certainly is not out of question that it could have put out competing assessments of things to muddy the waters in an effort to mitigate the damage even while admitting there were classified materials leaked.

I have a hard time believing the Pentagon was only tipped off about it by journalists.

It would be wonderful if that in fact happened.  But I am a doubter.  Would require an awful lot of people to sign off, and many meetings to decide what to alter and what to say, but then if this has been going on for a long time, then maybe yes.  The other side of this coin is the people out there who read this (nation actors) are going to figure there is no way we are so screwed up as to allow this to happen, so they assume exactly what you suggest.