Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth launched a blistering attack on CNN during a Pentagon press briefing Friday, demanding that “the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better” as he blasted the cable news outlet’s coverage of the ongoing Iran war.
Hegseth’s public rebuke targeted a CNN report published Thursday claiming the Trump administration had underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz during planning for Operation Epic Fury. The former Fox News host dismissed the article as “patently ridiculous” and “fundamentally unserious.”
“For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the strait hostage. CNN doesn’t think we thought of that,” Hegseth said during the briefing, prompting gasps from some journalists in the room.
The comment referenced Paramount CEO David Ellison’s pending $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company. The deal has sparked widespread speculation about potential editorial changes at the network, particularly given the turmoil at CBS News since Ellison took control of Paramount.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt amplified Hegseth’s criticism, labeling the CNN article “garbage” and “100% fake news” in a post on X. She claimed the Pentagon had planned for Iran’s closure of the strategic waterway for decades.
The disputed CNN report cited multiple anonymous sources who said the Pentagon and National Security Council had significantly underestimated Iran’s willingness to block the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply passes. Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has vowed to maintain the blockade following U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed his father and reportedly left him injured.
CNN chairman and CEO Mark Thompson defended his network’s journalism in a Friday statement, saying the network’s “only interest is in telling the truth” and that “no amount of political threats or insults” would change that.
CNN added a clarification to the article Friday noting that Trump administration officials had briefed lawmakers on long-standing military plans for addressing disruptions to the Strait, though multiple sources said the briefing indicated no near-term solutions existed.
The confrontation comes as Ellison has attempted to reassure CNN staffers about editorial independence following the acquisition. “Editorial independence will absolutely be maintained. It’s maintained at CBS. It’ll be maintained at CNN,” the Paramount CEO told CNBC last week.
However, Ellison’s stewardship of CBS News has fueled concerns among CNN journalists. He installed Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press and a former New York Times opinion writer with no TV newsroom experience, to lead CBS News last fall. Weiss has drawn sharp criticism for pulling a “60 Minutes” segment about the El Salvador prison CECOT just two hours before its scheduled broadcast in December, a decision correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi condemned as “political.”
Tensions escalated further this week when CBS hired Jeremy Adler, former communications director for Rep. Liz Cheney, prompting fury from White House officials. “What the **** is Bari Weiss thinking?” one administration insider told Axios.
Trump allies have embraced the prospect of changes at CNN. Far-right activist Laura Loomer told The Bulwark she would “happily become a CNN contributor if CNN is controlled by new leadership” following the Paramount acquisition.
President Trump himself has weighed in on war coverage, posting on Truth Social that The New York Times would make readers “incorrectly think that we are not winning” against Iran’s regime. Trump has long praised Larry Ellison, David’s billionaire father and Oracle founder, calling both men “friends of mine” and “big supporters.”
The Pentagon has tightened press access in recent months. Reporters lost press badges and office space after refusing to agree to new reporting rules, and the Pentagon barred press photographers from Iran briefings over allegedly “unflattering” images, according to The Washington Post. Still photographers remained banned at Friday’s briefing.
Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin, Hegseth’s former colleague, criticized the restrictions Wednesday while accepting an RTDNA First Amendment Award at The Watergate Hotel in Washington. “I’m concerned that during this time of war, that news organizations, which have reported uninterrupted from inside the Pentagon since 1947, are no longer given that access,” Griffin said.
The White House escalated its campaign against CNN on Friday, publishing an article titled “CNN Is Lying to Undermine Operation Epic Fury’s Crushing Success” as the Iran conflict enters its third week with no end in sight.