Trump to target journalists over leaked intelligence report on Iran strikes
Washington DC - President Donald Trump suggested that he might target journalists on his quest to find the source who leaked an explosive intelligence report on the US bombing campaign against Iran.
Trump expressed support for the idea of federal investigators forcing reporters to reveal who leaked the Defense Intelligence Agency assessment on his Iran strikes to the press, and speculated without evidence that the leak was part of a Democratic conspiracy.
"They should be prosecuted," Trump said of the leakers when asked by Fox News' Maria Bartiromo whether the leak was orchestrated by the Democrats.
"We could find out [who they are]," he said. "If they want to, they could find out easily – you go up and tell the reporter 'national security, who gave it? We have to do that, and I suspect we'll be doing things like that."
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the US' strikes on June 22 completely "obliterated" Tehran's nuclear program.
A leaked Defense Intelligence Agency assessment, however, questioned the attack's effectiveness.
Two people familiar with the assessment last week said that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium had not been destroyed in the strikes and that its nuclear program was only set back by a matter of months.
The White House responded angrily, press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling CNN that the assessment is "flat-out wrong and was classified as 'top secret.'"
"The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots," she said.
Cover photo: AFP/Joe Raedle/Getty Images