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WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday ripped CNN, The New York Times and other media that “breathlessly” reported on an early Pentagon assessment of the damage US airstrikes caused to Iranian nuclear facilities — without noting it takes weeks for a proper assessment.
Hegseth tore into the legacy outlets for having relied instead upon a “low confidence” Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment disclosing that President Trump’s decision to strike the sites of Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz was so ineffective Iran could have its nuclear program back online in one to two months.
“Whether its fake news CNN, MSNBC or the New York Times, there’s been fawning of a preliminary assessment” of the strikes, Hegseth unloaded on the Pentagon press corps.
“It requires weeks to accumulate the necessary data to make such an assessment,” he added, noting how the preliminary findings hadn’t been cross-referenced with the US Intelligence Community’s own assessments and had been made with “low confidence.”
“It says in the report there are gaps in the information; it says in the report ‘multiple linchpin assumptions,’ Hegseth went on. “If you’re wrong, everything else is wrong, and yet, still, this report acknowledges it’s likely severe damage.”
The Pentagon chief also pointed out that the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission and the UN’s nuclear watchdog had both determined the damage to Iran’s nuke sites was substantial.
“Have any of these quotes made their way into The New York Times or the Washington Post, MSNBC, CNN?” chided Hegseth.
“In hunting for scandals all the time, in trying to find wedges and spin stories, this press corps and the press corps miss historic moments.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine joined Hegseth in the briefing to provide more details about the GBU-57 series MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) heavy-duty bunker buster bombs used for the strikes.
Unlike most bombs, the MOPs don’t leave behind a massive crater, which explains why satellite imagery of the nuke sites isn’t indicative of the total damage the US inflicted on the Iranian facilities.
The defense secretary later got into a spat with Fox News’ chief national security correspondent Jen Griffin when asked whether trucks pictured in satellite images had removed highly enriched uranium from the site before the strikes.
“Of course we’re watching,” Hegseth responded, before taking a swipe at the reporter: “Jennifer, you’ve been about the worst, the one who misrepresents the most intentionally.”
“I was the first to describe the B-2 bombers, the refueling, the entire mission with great accuracy, so I take great issue with that,” Griffin shot back.
Both CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard came out Wednesday to dispute the coverage of the preliminary DIA report.
“CIA can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program has been severely damaged by the recent, targeted strikes,” Ratcliffe said in a statement.
“This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years.”
Gabbard in a statement confirmed it “would likely take years” for Iran to rebuild the three nuclear facilities but the “propaganda media” chose instead to “selectively release portions of illegally leaked classified intelligence assessments.”
The spy chief accused the outlets of seeking “to undermine President Trump’s decisive leadership and the brave servicemen and women who flawlessly executed a truly historic mission to keep the American people safe and secure.”
Trump in a string of Truth Social posts after the press conference boasted Hegseth led “One of the greatest, most professional, and most ‘confirming’ News Conferences I have ever seen!”
“The Fake News should fire everyone involved in this Witch Hunt, and apologize to our great warriors, and everyone else!” the president demanded.
“FAKE NEWS REPORTERS FROM CNN & THE NEW YORK TIMES SHOULD BE FIRED, IMMEDIATELY!!! BAD PEOPLE WITH EVIL INTENTIONS!!!” he also erupted.
A CNN spokesperson said in a statement responding to the charges: “We stand 100% behind Natasha Bertrand’s journalism and specifically her and her colleagues’ reporting of the early intelligence assessment of the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.”
“CNN’s reporting made clear that this was an initial finding that could change with additional intelligence,” added the rep. “We do not believe it is reasonable to criticize CNN reporters for accurately reporting the existence of the assessment and accurately characterizing its findings, which are in the public interest.”
The Times in a statement added: “President Trump called this ‘fake news.’ But he and his entire national security team subsequently confirmed that the Defense Intelligence Agency did in fact produce the preliminary assessment described in a report by The Times and others.”
English (US)