Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized his former Fox News colleague Jennifer Griffin as “about the worst, the one who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says” in a Pentagon news conference Thursday.
Griffin, Fox’s chief national security correspondent, said that “I take issue with that” and defended her reporting on the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
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Hegseth, a Fox News anchor before President Donald Trump appointed him defense secretary, repeatedly criticized the media and questioned its patriotism for its reporting on an initial assessment of the weekend’s bombing that questioned how much damage was done to Iran’s nuclear program.
The attack on Griffin was notable because, less than a year ago, she and Hegseth shared the same employer — a news network that has seen its reputation in Trump's eyes rise and fall haphazardly over the past decade.
Griffin had asked Hegseth about whether there was any certainty that highly enriched uranium was stored at the mountain bunker bombed by the U.S., given satellite photos that showed more than a dozen trucks were seen there two days in advance.
“Of course, we’re watching every single aspect,” Hegseth said. “But, Jennifer, you’ve been about the worst, the one who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says.”
Fox management had no immediate comment on what Hegseth said. Fox analyst Brit Hume called it an attack she did not deserve. “Her professionalism, her knowledge and her experience are unmatched,” Hume said.
Hume did seem to criticize, however, other news organizations for reporting on the initial assessment by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. “It is typical of the media in our age that any negative report that you can put your hands on in the aftermath of the United States military action is going to be highlighted, played up and so,” he said, saying it was disappointing.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that the administration is investigating who is responsible for leaking a copy of the intelligence agency's report. The news reporting clearly angered Trump, since the report's initial conclusions contradicted the president's statements that the bombing resulted in “total obliteration” of Iran's nuclear program.
For a second day, the administration focused its anger on CNN reporter Natasha Bertrand who helped break the story. CNN, which said Wednesday that it stood 100% behind Bertrand's journalism, continued to defend her Thursday and said its reporting on the Trump administration's own report was in no way meant to diminish the military's efforts.
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David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.