In pleading guilty during his military-court martial, Jack Teixeira made a direct appeal to President Trump, reflecting a tactic being employed by an increasing number of convicted criminals and their lawyers.
The Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who pleaded guilty last year to leaking military secrets said on Thursday that he had broken the law to expose Biden administration efforts to aid Ukraine — and appealed to President Trump for leniency, suggesting he had new information to disclose.
The guardsman, Jack Teixeira, who is serving a 15-year sentence in federal prison, made the disclosure after he pleaded guilty during his military court-martial. In a letter he read aloud, he implored Mr. Trump; Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director; and an official who handles pardon requests to intercede on his behalf to prevent a “double-prosecution” that added additional prison time.
The military judge in the case rejected his request, though she agreed to the terms of the plea deal, which calls for a dishonorable discharge and no jail time.
Mr. Teixeira’s plea to Mr. Trump reflected a tactic being employed by an increasing number of convicted criminals and their lawyers as they seize new opportunities for pardons or commutations under a president who has granted reprieves to violent Capitol rioters and other political allies.
He described himself to Mr. Trump as a fellow victim of prosecutorial “weaponization.” In his letter, he cast himself as a heroic patriot, rather than the portrayal of a directionless young man that emerged from court documents in his case. The records illustrated Mr. Teixeira as someone who posted secrets to impress strangers online while living at home with his parents.
“I see dignity and honor in President Trump and his vision for America,” he wrote.
Mr. Teixeira, 23, asked Mr. Trump and Mr. Patel to review his case with “an eye toward reversing deep-state actions and showing the truth no matter how embarrassing to the Biden administration.”