Pete Hegseth Trashes CNN Mid-Briefing: ‘The Sooner David Ellison Takes Over…’ | EUROtoday

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday used his Pentagon press briefing to assault the media, singling out CNN and saying that the earlier Paramount CEO David Ellison “takes over that network, the better.” (Watch video beneath.)

Hegseth took subject with a CNN report revealed Thursday saying that the Trump administration underestimated simply how keen Iran could be to shut the Strait of Hormuz and the financial influence of the transfer throughout their planning for the struggle as “patently ridiculous.”

“For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the strait hostage. CNN doesn’t think we thought of that. It’s a fundamentally unserious report,” Hegseth mentioned. “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt doubled down on Hegseth’s criticism of CNN’s report, calling the article “garbage.”

“The Fake News is working overtime to discredit President Trump, his Administration, and our U.S. Military, all of whom are working 24/7 to eliminate the threat of the Iranian regime,” Leavitt claimed. “It’s a complete disgrace to witness this from the media, and we will keep fighting back against it.”

A CNN spokesperson defended their journalists’ work.

“We stand by our reporting,” they mentioned.

David Ellison, the son of Trump’s billionaire ally Larry Ellison, lately reached an settlement to accumulate Warner Bros. Discovery, the dad or mum firm of CNN, after an intense bidding struggle.

David Ellison addressed the fears about what Paramount’s takeover would imply for CNN given the adjustments underway at CBS News following his acquisition of Paramount.

“Editorial independence will actually be maintained,” he instructed CNBC final week. “It’s maintained at CBS, it’ll be maintained at CNN.”

Ellison employed Bari Weiss to steer CBS News regardless that she had zero expertise main a TV newsroom. Since then, Weiss has drawn criticism for a collection of her strikes there, together with her resolution to postpone the published of a “60 Minutes” phase a few infamous jail in El Salvador hours earlier than it was set to air.

Ellison’s anticipated takeover of CNN has additionally appeared to excite Trump allies on the far proper.

“I would happily become a CNN contributor if CNN is controlled by new leadership following a Paramount acquisition of WBD,” Laura Loomer, an anti-Muslim extremist and conspiracy theorist, instructed The Bulwark.

Hegseth’s assault on the press is just the most recent instance of the Trump administration in search of to focus on information organizations and management their protection.

On Thursday, the White House referred to as out CNN over its protection of recent Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public assertion since his appointment.

Separately, the White House additionally voiced frustration with CBS News’ resolution to rent Jeremy Adler, a communications govt who beforehand labored for former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), a political enemy of the president.

“The idea CBS would hire Liz Cheney’s flack who has worked to jail President Trump and make it impossible for anybody who supported the president to get hired is insanity,” an unnamed White House official instructed Axios. “What the hell is Bari Weiss thinking?”

Trump himself additionally referred to as out the Iran struggle protection of The New York Times, one other of his frequent targets, in a late-night publish on his Truth Social platform.

“We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise, yet, if you read the Failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think that we are not winning,” Trump wrote.