Pete Hegseth launched an embarrassing attack on a respected journalist, accusing her of deliberately misrepresenting Donald Trump’s Iran airstrikes, as a Pentagon press conference descended into chaos
Humiliated US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth launched an embarrassing attack on a respected journalist from his former network, accusing her of deliberately misrepresenting Donald Trump’s Iran airstrikes.
A Pentagon press conference to highlight the US assault on Iran at the weekend descended into chaos today after the former Fox News host lashed out at an ex-colleague.
In what was widely seen as an event designed for an audience of one – the president himself – as the secretary railed against what he called the “fake news” media. During the event, a video was shown of the capabilities of the bunker-busting bombs used in the raid, but not footage from the US attack on Iran.
Hegseth, who once leaked classified information himself, was furious over leaked US intelligence suggesting that the much-hyped Operation Midnight Hammer had set back Iran’s nuclear programme by only a few months.
“Maybe there’ll be a little mention here or there, but because it was under President Trump’s leadership… the press corps doesn’t want to write about it,” Hegseth fumed. “That brings us to the topic of the moment – the highly successful strikes in Iran.” But it was an exchange with Fox News’ chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin that sparked the event’s most bizarre moment.
Griffin asked Hegseth whether the Pentagon could confirm that all of Iran’s highly enriched uranium had been at the Fordow facility at the time of the strike, citing satellite images showing trucks leaving the site two days earlier. Rather than answering, Hegseth launched into a personal tirade.
“Of course, we’re watching every single aspect. But, Jennifer, you’ve been about the worst. The one who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says. I’m familiar,” he said. Griffin, clearly taken aback, calmly responded that she had been first to accurately report on key details of the raid, including the use of B-2 bombers and refuelling logistics.
But Hegseth doubled down, sarcastically thanking her for “acknowledging that this was the most successful mission based on operational security that this department has done since you’ve been here.”
Throughout the briefing, Hegseth dismissed the Pentagon’s own intelligence assessments – leaked to the press – as a “low confidence report”, claiming the media was ignoring the strike’s success out of political bias. At one point, he told a reporter the media should “wave an American flag” and “be proud of what we accomplished.”
Trump, meanwhile, was live-posting on Truth Social during the press conference. “Rumour 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,” he wrote. “Let’s see what happens?”
Tensions flared again when a second journalist followed up on Griffin’s original question, prompting Hegseth to claim he was “not aware” of any intelligence showing the uranium had been moved. Yet, preliminary assessments shared with US allies have indicated that Iran did relocate much of its nuclear stockpile ahead of the bombing raid.
The press conference, intended to be a show of strength, instead highlighted deep divisions between the Trump administration and the intelligence community, while reinforcing criticism over the politicisation of the Department of Defence.
Fox News’ Fox & Friends failed to come to Griffin’s defence when they returned to air, instead praising Hegseth’s “emotional” performance.
“He was furious that all the media is focusing on this preliminary report,” said co-host Ainsley Earhardt. “That was leaked, and it is usually wrong.”
Griffin, later brought onto the programme, made no mention of the personal insults lobbed at her by Hegseth.