After Donald Trump again attacked CNN and singled out correspondent Natasha Bertrand for her reporting on an early intel assessment of the Iran bombings, the network has responded by saying they stand “100% behind” her and her work.
CNN was the first outlet to report on a Defense Intelligence Agency assessment that the U.S. bombing strikes on Iran on Saturday likely set the country’s nuclear program back only by months. The network made it clear in the story that it was a preliminary assessment. Other outlets, including The New York Times, the AP, Reuters and NBC News, followed up with similar reports.
Bertrand covers the Pentagon and national security for the network.
“We stand 100% behind Natasha Bertrand’s journalism and specifically her and her colleagues’ reporting of the early intelligence assessment of the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. CNN’s reporting made clear that this was an initial finding that could change with additional intelligence. We have extensively covered President Trump’s own deep skepticism about it.
“However, we do not believe it is reasonable to criticize CNN reporters for accurately reporting on the existence of the assessment and accurately characterizing its findings, which are in the public interest.”
Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, appeared to confirm the existence of the intelligence assessment in a statement she released on Tuesday, while taking issue with its findings. But Trump and his allies seem to be attacking CNN for even reporting on the assessment, even claiming that they are demeaning the members of the military who carried out the strikes.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Natasha Bertrand should be FIRED from CNN! I watched her for three days doing Fake News. She should be IMMEDIATELY reprimanded, and then thrown out ‘like a dog.’ She lied on the Laptop from Hell Story, and now she lied on the Nuclear Sites Story, attempting to destroy our Patriot Pilots by making them look bad when, in fact, they did a GREAT job and hit ‘pay dirt’ — TOTAL OBLITERATION! She should not be allowed to work at Fake News CNN. It’s people like her who destroyed the reputation of a once great Network. Her slant was so obviously negative, besides, she doesn’t have what it takes to be an on camera correspondent, not even close. FIRE NATASHA!”
The White House issued a release, titled “CNN Spews Fake News Based on Leaked Low-Confidence Intel.” Included was a statement from the Defense Intelligence Agency saying, “This is a preliminary, low confidence report and will continue to be refined as additional intelligence becomes available. We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the unauthorized disclosure of classified information.”
At a press conference at the NATO summit on Wednesday, Trump called on CNN’s Kaitlin Collins, telling her “you really should say how great our soliders and our warriors are.”
“I think everyone appreciates our soldiers and our warriors,” Collins said, before asking him two questions.
Trump said that they have “collected additional intelligence. We’ve also spoken to people who have seen the site, and the site it obliterated. And we think everything nuclear is down there. They didn’t take it out.”
