President Donald Trump threw a shot across the bow at Democrats over leaked intel about the success of the operation on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling on those responsible to be prosecuted.
In a post on Thursday on Truth Social, President Trump slammed fake news reports from legacy media outlets like CNN and their reporter, Natasha Bertrand, which disputed his claims that the airstrikes had obliterated Iran's nuclear capabilities.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 26, 2025
"The Democrats are the ones who leaked the information on the Perfect Flight to the Nuclear Sites in Iran," Trump's post read. "They should be prosecuted."
The White House previously said someone leaked only "tidbits" to Bertrand and others in the media from a "low confidence preliminary intelligence assessment" in order to provide a false picture of the operation in Iran.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made the comments during a White House press briefing earlier in the day.
"We have seen this playbook run before, where you have people in the intelligence community — or perhaps on Capitol Hill, we don't know — but I believe the FBI is investigating to find out who that leaker was because it's illegal, and they should be held accountable," Leavitt told members of the press.
.@PressSec: "We have seen this playbook run before... leaked bits and pieces of an intel assessment to push a false narrative. And it's to the same reporter, I will add — @NatashaBertrand of @CNN — who has done this in the past. In 2020, it was Natasha Bertrand who had 51… pic.twitter.com/Dwy75y3HoE
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 26, 2025
"It could have been someone in the intelligence community, or it could have been someone on Capitol Hill who had access to this document. The FBI is searching for that person," she added.
During the same press briefing, Leavitt destroyed Bertrand for her fake news report about how the bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities was not a complete success.
Leavitt called out Bertrand by name and brought the receipts for all the times Leavitt said the CNN reporter had been "used" to push fake news, like how the "Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation."
"And it's to the same reporter, I will add — Natasha Bertrand of CNN — who has done this in the past," Leavitt said.
"In 2020, it was Natasha Bertrand who had 51 intelligence analysts falsely lie to her... that the Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation," she added. "We all know that's not true, right? We can all agree on that now, that was a lie from the intelligence community."
Leavitt continued:
"Also in 2020, this same reporter, Natasha Bertrand, wrote that a top intel agency ruled out the man-made lab leak theory of the Coronavirus origins. Again, the President was right about that. This reporter wrote a lie from the intelligence community to seek a narrative she wanted to prove, and guess what, we know now that's the truth."
On Thursday, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) didn't name any Democrats for the leaked intel on Iran's operation but did take the opportunity to put a jab into whoever was behind it while speaking on CNN:
SENATOR KENNEDY: I think this was an intentional leak...by somebody who probably has a history of disappointing his parents.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 26, 2025
🔥 pic.twitter.com/2z14RjLmQq
Kennedy said that, "I think this was an intentional leak...by somebody who probably has a history of disappointing his parents."
One thing is for certain: Trump and his administration sound like they won’t rest until they find out who leaked the information.
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