CNN’s Kaitlan Collins skewered White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on her primetime show after the two clashed during a press conference earlier in the day.
Their argument revolved around self-proclaimed “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth’s complaints about media coverage of U.S. service members killed in Iran. The Pentagon chief moaned about the coverage during his own bizarre press conference on Wednesday, claiming it was designed to “make the president look bad.”
Collins challenged Leavitt on that complaint, and a thinly veiled meltdown ensued. President Donald Trump’s mouthpiece echoed his rhetoric as she jabbed at CNN’s ratings and bristled at Collins in front of her colleagues.
CNN’s White House correspondent remained calm and later addressed the confrontation on her show, The Source. Swatting away the 28-year-old’s complaints, she said, “Needless to say, our coverage of Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country is not about the president, and it’s not about CNN either.”
“It’s about the people that you’re looking at here,” Collins added, naming the victims.
“It’s also for those whose names the Pentagon just released tonight. The other two who were killed. May they rest in peace. And may their memory be a blessing for their families, their loved ones and their nation.”
Collins’ response comes as the Pentagon 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.
The line of questioning from Collins that earned her Leavitt’s scorn seemed innocuous. She had tried to confirm if the administration’s position was that the media should not give prominent coverage to the deaths of U.S. service members, citing Hegseth’s protests.
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 pointed out that Hegseth was actually “complaining” that the deaths of the service members became “front-page news,” Leavitt got 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.”
