CNN’s Kaitlan Collins confronted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt over a complaint from the defense secretary about media coverage of U.S. service members’ deaths in the war on Iran.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth called out the coverage during a press conference on Wednesday, saying, “When a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it’s front-page news.”
“I get it, the press only wants to make the president look bad, but try for once to report the reality,” Hegseth added.
The Pentagon has now identified all six victims of a fatal attack on Sunday. It said Major Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa, was killed during the Iranian strike on Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California, is “believed” to have been killed in the same strike, a statement noted.
Four other soldiers from the 103rd Sustainment Command were also killed in the attack, and had been previously identified as Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20.
During a White House press briefing on Wednesday, Collins asked Leavitt about Hegseth’s comments, trying to confirm if the administration’s position was that the media should not give prominent coverage to the deaths of U.S. service members in Donald Trump’s war on Iran.
Leavitt said the administration’s position was that the press should “accurately report on the success” of Operation Epic Fury and the “damage it is doing to the rogue Iranian regime that has threatened the lives of every single American in this room.”
When Collins—who serves as CNN’s chief White House correspondent as well as hosting a primetime show—pointed out that Hegseth was actually “complaining” that the deaths of the service members was “front-page news,” Leavitt fired up.
“That‘s not what the secretary said, Kaitlan, and that‘s not what the secretary meant. And you know it. You know you‘re being disingenuous.”
“We’ve never had a secretary of defense who cares more,” she added.
Undeterred, Collins quoted Hegseth’s words back to Leavitt, who quickly backed him up.
“The press does only want to make the president look bad,” Leavitt said. “That’s a fact.”
When the assembled media started to interject at Leavitt’s bold statement, she raised her voice and said to Collins, “Listen to me, especially you and especially CNN.”
She claimed that the cable network “has hardly ever probably [sic] reported” on Hegseth traveling across the U.S. to meet “our men and women in uniform.”
When Leavitt repeated that Trump would be attending the “dignified transfer” of the U.S. service members, Collins said covering the transfer “isn’t making the president look bad, that’s showcasing” the tribute, the press secretary took another swipe at CNN.
“You and your network know that you take every single thing this administration says and tries to use it to make the president look bad. That is an objectible [sic] fact.”
Collins then interviewed former Vice President Mike Pence, who has paid tribute to the “fallen heroes” on social media and asked about Hegseth’s comments about the media coverage of the deaths.
“I don‘t want to get in between you and the administration arguing about the media,” Pence said, before adding, “I will tell you that I think the attention that is being paid, the honor that is being shown to our fallen heroes is altogether fitting and altogether proper.”
The Indiana Republican added, “I think it‘s also altogether fitting for us to continue to, to, to see folks like you report on the extraordinary success and professionalism and courage being demonstrated every day by our, our airmen, our soldiers, our Marines, our navy, naval aviators are doing.”
