Biden downplays damage posed by Pentagon leak info

President Biden on Thursday said the Pentagon and Justice Department are “getting close” in their investigation into the source of classified government documents leaked in an online gamer chatroom.

Mr. Biden addressed the scandal while on a four-day visit to Ireland but said details will surface only after the probe is complete.

“There’s a full-blown investigation going on, as you know, with the intelligence community and the Justice Department, and they’re getting close,” the president said when pressed by reporters.

He added that the information released was unlikely to pose grave damage to U.S. operations.

“I’m not concerned about the leak,” Mr. Biden said. “I’m concerned that it happened. But there’s nothing contemporaneous that I’m aware of that’s of great consequence.”

The documents, most of which are several months old, contained sensitive information and intelligence on various topics, including the disposition of Ukrainian forces, a possible Egyptian weapons deal with Russia and a possible hack of a Canadian pipeline by Russian-based cyberintelligence agents.

Officials previously called the leak a “very serious” risk to national security. But they have avoided confirming specific revelations contained in the material, including an apparent assessment of the Russia-Ukraine war, in addition to revealing sensitive intelligence regarding other nations.

Some of the documents were marked with “top secret,” the nation’s highest classification marking.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said U.S. officials are discussing the leaks with allies and partners at “high levels,” though declined to divulge the contents of the talks.

“There’s an ongoing investigation that’s being led by the Department of Justice,” she said Thursday in Ireland. “That’s something that the Department of Defense quickly asked for once they learned about these documents. And I will also say the Department of Defense has said they have taken steps to further restrict access to sensitive information.”

Ms. Jean-Pierre said the U.S. is reviewing the national security implications of the leaks and taking steps to “mitigate the impact the release of these documents have on our U.S. national security and also on our allies and partners as well.”

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Monday said Mr. Biden is receiving regular briefings on the leak.

Mr. Kirby said the administration could not be sure whether more disclosures were on the horizon.

He added that the information was not intended for public consumption and “should not be out there.” He pleaded for patience as the federal investigations proceed.

“We don’t know who’s behind this. We don’t know what the motive is,” Mr. Kirby said. “We don’t know what else might be out there.”

Lawmakers are calling for the administration to work quickly to identify the source of the leak and prevent additional disclosures.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, has called for an all-Senate classified briefing on the matter once lawmakers return to Washington next week.

• Tom Howell Jr. contributed to this report.