President Donald Trump is demanding answers — and accountability — after U.S. intelligence tied to last weekend’s strike on Iranian nuclear facilities was leaked to legacy media outlets. In a post on Truth Social Thursday morning, Trump directly accused Democrats of being behind the leak and called for criminal prosecutions.
“The Democrats are the ones who leaked the information on the PERFECT FLIGHT to the Nuclear Sites in Iran. They should be prosecuted!” Trump wrote.
The leak in question led to a wave of media reports from CNN and The New York Times suggesting the strike only marginally disrupted Iran’s nuclear program — a direct contradiction of Trump’s claim that the sites were “obliterated.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that a formal leak investigation is already underway. “We’re doing a leak investigation with the FBI right now, because this information is for internal purposes, battle-damage assessments,” Hegseth said Wednesday. “CNN and others are trying to spin it to make the president look bad when this is an overwhelming success.”
Despite the media’s early reports, updated intelligence assessments from the CIA and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard state that the nuclear sites were in fact destroyed, likely delaying Iran’s nuclear ambitions by years.
Trump lashed out again later in the day, demanding that CNN and The New York Times fire the reporters responsible for the coverage.
“FAKE NEWS REPORTERS FROM CNN & THE NEW YORK TIMES SHOULD BE FIRED, IMMEDIATELY!!! BAD PEOPLE WITH EVIL INTENTIONS!!!” he wrote in another Truth Social post, also threatening defamation lawsuits and demanding retractions.
So far, the media outlets are standing by their reporting. “No retraction is needed. No apology will be forthcoming. We told the truth to the best of our ability,” said New York Times lead attorney David McCraw.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also took aim at CNN, highlighting its recent correction after the outlet falsely reported that Democrats in Congress were not briefed in advance of the strike.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is trying to pivot the focus, accusing Trump of lacking a long-term strategy for Iran and demanding a new war powers vote.
The White House maintains the operation was a clear success and that the leaks were politically motivated sabotage meant to undermine both the mission and the president.