Pete Hegseth Mocks CNN With Ellison Acquisition Briefing
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used his Pentagon news conference Friday to attack the media, singling out CNN and saying that the sooner Paramount CEO David Ellison “takes over that network, the better.” (See video below).
Hegseth took issue with a CNN report published Thursday that said the Trump administration underestimated how willing Iran would be to close the Strait of Hormuz and the economic impact of the move during its war planning as “patently ridiculous.”
“For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, holding the strait hostage. CNN doesn’t think we thought about that. It’s a fundamentally unserious report,” Hegseth said. “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”
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The Secretary of Defense lamented the “tragic things” that appear in the “first news.”
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Dana Perino’s comments came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued that the media’s emphasis on American casualties was intended to make Trump”look bad.”
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The defense secretary sought to reimagine the United States’ role in escalating the war with Iran following its deadly attacks on the country over the weekend.
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Trump’s White House press secretary was angered by a CNN reporter’s question about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary bent on Hegseth’s criticism of the CNN report, calling the article “garbage.”
“Fake news is working overtime to discredit President Trump, his administration and our American military, who are working 24/7 to eliminate the threat from the Iranian regime,” Leavitt said. “It is a complete disgrace to witness this in the media and we will continue to fight it.”
A CNN spokesperson defended the work of its journalists.
“We stand by our reports,” they said.
David Ellison, son of billionaire Trump ally Larry Ellison, recently reached a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, after an intense bidding war.
David Ellison addressed fears about what the Paramount acquisition would mean for CNN given the changes underway at News following its acquisition of Paramount.
“In fact, editorial independence will be maintained,” he told CNBC last week. “It remains on News and it will remain on CNN.”
Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ellison hired Bari Weiss to run News even though she had no experience running a television newsroom. Weiss has since drawn criticism for a series of his moves there, including his decision to postpone airing a “60 Minutes” segment about a famous prison in El Salvador hours before it aired.
Ellison’s expected acquisition of CNN also appeared to excite Trump’s allies on the far right.
“I would love to become a CNN contributor if CNN were controlled by new leadership following Paramount’s acquisition of WBD,” Laura Loomer, an anti-Muslim extremist and conspiracy theorist, told The Bulwark.
Hegseth’s attack on the press is just the latest example of how the Trump administration seeks to attack news organizations and control their coverage.
On Thursday, the White House criticized CNN for its coverage of new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public statement since his appointment.
Separately, the White House also expressed frustration with News’ decision to hire Jeremy Adler, a communications executive who previously worked for former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the president’s political enemy.
“The idea that News would hire Liz Cheney, who has worked to imprison President Trump and make it impossible for anyone to be hired is crazy,” an anonymous White House official told Axios. “What the hell is Bari Weiss thinking?”
Trump himself also denounced the New York Times’ coverage of the Iran war, another of his frequent targets, in a late-night post on his Truth Social platform.
“We are totally destroying the terrorist regime in Iran, militarily, economically and otherwise, yet if you read the failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think we are not winning,” Trump wrote.