The bipartisan leaders of the House Intelligence Committee are concerned that additional classified documents could surface on social media in the wake of the discovery of dozens of leaked documents.

These classified documents were uncovered in recent days on social media while defense and national security administration officials have shared little information, in part because they have a limited understanding of the leak at this moment. Officials acknowledged on Monday that the Department of Defense and Department of Justice investigations are just beginning and that possibility remains that the perpetrator or perpetrators may release additional classified documents.

LEAKED PENTAGON DOCUMENTS SHOW HOW DEEP US HAS PENETRATED RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE

"As long as we don't know who's responsible for this, there's a possibility that there's more behind it," Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), the ranking member on the Intelligence Committee, told the Washington Examiner. "The timeline is now, you know, there's no particular reason to believe that if somebody has classified information, they've disclosed all of it. This is one of those instances where the clock is ticking. If we can determine the individual who did this, we can have a much better sense for the overall magnitude of the leak."

Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) said if an American is behind the leaks, it would rise "to the level of being a traitor," adding, "The concern we also have is, what else is out there? And what is it that we don't know? ... What do we don't know they may have been transmitted or provided in some way about this subject matter, or what other items are there? That's why we're working diligently to try to find out what the source of this is; you can stop the leak itself and also, at the same time, try to mitigate the damage."

Some of the classified documents that have been released appear to have been altered, though it's unclear whether the person responsible for leaking them is also responsible for the apparent changes. Many of the leaked documents were photos taken of maps and slides, while some pertained to Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression, including one that outlines the Ukrainians' dire need for additional air defense capabilities.

Himes described the leaks, should they be authenticated, as "incredibly disturbing" and said he "just can't imagine what the motivation of somebody would be to leak" information that will have an effect on the battlefield in Ukraine. "Unlike some other unauthorized disclosures, this could have an effect on the battlefield tomorrow, and that's just devastating to imagine."

Some of the purported classified documents that were released described U.S. intelligence gathering against allies, including Israel and South Korea.

Another intelligence report leaked, this one about Israel, claimed Mossad, the country's main intelligence agency, had been encouraging protests against the government. Another one detailed a purported conversation between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and top aides in which they discussed a sale of ammunition to the United States, while a South Korean official said they will demand that the U.S. take "appropriate measures" once the investigations conclude, according to NBC News.

Concerns from allies in "some ways is the second most horrendous result if this stuff turns out to be real," Himes continued. "That is not just our five eyes partners, but countries like Korea and Israel with whom we may from time to time share intelligence, now they're going to wonder whether Americans can keep their secrets and not, you know, that makes us all less safe."

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The Pentagon is investigating the leak while also having referred it to the DOJ, which has opened a criminal investigation. DOD has also taken steps to look into how information is distributed and to whom.

The department is attempting to "look at the scope and scale of the distribution, the assessed impact, and our mitigation measures," Chris Meagher, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, told reporters, while national security council coordinator John Kirby asserted that "we truly don't know" if the leak has been contained.