Trump threatens Democrats with prosecution for leaking Iran intel
US President Donald Trump has called for the prosecution of members of the opposition he holds responsible for the leak of classified information about recent US attacks on Iran. The Pentagon struck three of Tehran's nuclear facilities last week, building on Israeli attacks earlier this month.
While the Trump administration has maintained that the targets in Iran were 'obliterated,' CNN and several other news outlets on Tuesday cited a preliminary military intelligence assessment indicating only moderate damage to the facilities, despite the reported use of bunker buster bombs.
'The Democrats are the ones who leaked the information on the PERFECT FLIGHT to the Nuclear Sites in Iran. They should be prosecuted!' Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social.
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has accused 'the propaganda media' of attempting to undermine the president by publishing 'illegally leaked classified intelligence assessments.' Trump accused media outlets of spreading 'fake news' about what he considers a major security success.
According to Axios, the White House believes the document — produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency approximately 24 hours after the airstrikes — was leaked by individuals in Congress. The administration had shared the assessment with lawmakers late Monday using a secure system known as CAPNET, sources said.
'Go figure: Almost as soon as we put the information on CAPNET, it leaks,' an administration source told Axios.
'The intelligence community is figuring out how to tighten up their processes so we don't have 'Deep State' actors leaking parts of intel analysis that have 'low confidence' to the media,' a senior White House official said, referencing how the agency labeled its conclusions. The White House reportedly intends to reduce intelligence-sharing with the legislative branch.
Several Democratic lawmakers have criticized Trump for failing to notify them about the operation in advance. The White House postponed a classified after-action Congress briefing originally set for Tuesday. The session was held Thursday, led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Public comments afterward reflected partisan divisions. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said 'obliteration' was a fair description of the strikes. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said Trump was 'misleading the public.'
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