White House calls for Iran nuke site bombing leaker to be JAILED as Trump blasts CNN reporter & says she should be fired
THE White House has called for the leaker of a classified intelligence report on Iran's nuclear sites to be jailed — as Donald Trump demanded CNN's Natasha Bertrand be fired 'like a dog.'
Speaking at a NATO summit press conference in The Hague, the president raged at 'fake news' outlets over reports suggesting US airstrikes failed to cripple Iran's nuclear programme.
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Trump insisted Tehran's labs were now 'totally inoperable,' citing intelligence from both Israel and Iran confirming the scale of the devastation.
He also quipped that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may need to rebrand as 'Secretary of War' amid growing tensions in the region.
Comparing the weekend blitz to World War II, Trump said: 'I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima.
'I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki. But that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war.'
The uproar followed reports from CNN, MSNBC, and The New York Times citing a leaked Defense Intelligence Agency memo that raised doubts over the extent of the damage — particularly at the Fordow nuclear site.
The report was based on just 24 hours of data.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the person responsible for leaking the classified Iran intelligence report should face jail time.
'They should go to jail,' she told Fox News' Ryan Schmelz when asked about potential punishment for the leaker.
Leavitt said the DIA memo had been 'discredited' by U.S. and Israeli officials — and even by Iran itself.
'CNN ran with a story they knew wasn't fully vetted,' Leavitt told Fox News, calling it a leak from 'someone with an agenda' and noting it came from 'the same reporter who once pushed the false Hunter Biden laptop narrative.'
She confirmed the FBI is investigating the leak and stressed that those responsible 'should be held accountable.'
Defending the strikes, Leavitt said: 'This operation achieved what decades of diplomacy and sanctions could not.'
Trump went on to slam the media outlets, saying: 'We had a tremendous success.
'And this is the New York Times. I call it the failing New York Times. It's going to hell. And CNN, which is, you know, very few people are watching, and you would think they'd do the opposite.
'So it's just fake news by CNN, which has got no ratings. It's a failed network,' he added.
The president didn't hold back, declaring: 'CNN is scum, the New York Times is scum, MSNBC is scum. They're bad people, they're sick. And what they've done is they want to turn this incredible victory into something less.'
Trump then unleashed on CNN's Bertrand in a furious Truth Social post: '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… She should not be allowed to work at Fake News CNN... FIRE NATASHA!'
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard echoed that sentiment on X, writing: 'New intelligence confirms what @POTUS has stated numerous times: Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed...
'The propaganda media has deployed their usual tactic: selectively release portions of illegally leaked classified intelligence assessments… to try to undermine President Trump's decisive leadership.'
During Wednesday afternoon's press conference, Trump revealed fresh intelligence indicating the Fordow plant had been rendered 'inoperable' by B-2 bomber strikes — citing the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission.
He previously hit back at leaked reports downplaying the strikes' success and revealed Israeli agents had been dispatched to Fordow to confirm its destruction firsthand.
Iranian officials have also admitted severe damage. Foreign ministry official Email Baghaei said: 'Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that's for sure.'
The NATO summit in The Hague has been described as Trump's 'victory lap' after brokering a ceasefire to end 12 days of bloodshed in the Middle East.
NATO leaders hailed 'Daddy Don' for halting the Iran-Israel conflict — with allies praising his intervention as both forceful and peace-driven.
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