President Donald Trump claimed that reporters from CNN and The New York Times could soon face termination over what he called inaccurate coverage of the recent American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Both media organizations had published pieces suggesting that the U.S. bombing campaign failed to achieve lasting damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, estimating that any disruption would last just a few months.
However, CIA Director John Ratcliffe contradicted those claims on Wednesday, stating that reliable intelligence pointed to severe destruction of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, potentially requiring years for the regime to rebuild.
In a post to Truth Social on Thursday, Trump took aim at the two news giants.
“Rumor is that the Failing New York Times and Fake News CNN will be firing the reporters who made up the FAKE stories on the Iran Nuclear sites because they got it so wrong. Lets see what happens?” Trump wrote.
Following a Thursday morning briefing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine detailing the damage inflicted on the Iranian facilities in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, Trump once again turned to Truth Social to voice his opinion.
“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!” he posted.
Earlier in the week, on Tuesday night, Trump had already begun lashing out at CNN and The New York Times, accusing them of colluding to undermine the success of Operation Midnight Hammer.
In a strongly worded post in all capital letters, Trump stated: “FAKE NEWS CNN, TOGETHER WITH THE FAILING NEW YORK TIMES, HAVE TEAMED UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEMEAN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY STRIKES IN HISTORY. THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED! BOTH THE TIMES AND CNN ARE GETTING SLAMMED BY THE PUBLIC!”
The two outlets had cited an initial evaluation reportedly drafted by the Defense Intelligence Agency, which suggested the strikes had only temporarily delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
{Matzav.com}