WASHINGTON, April 6 - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he would demand that the journalist who initially reported the recovery of an airman in Iran reveal how the information was obtained, and warned that the reporter could face jail time if they refused to comply.
Speaking at a White House press conference, the president framed the disclosure as a significant breach that threatened the security of an ongoing effort to recover another airman. The comments marked a marked escalation in the administration's public critiques of media coverage.
Trump said that after a U.S. fighter jet was downed over Iran on Friday, several outlets reported that one of the two airmen aboard had been recovered by U.S. rescue forces. He said the early reporting compromised the operation to retrieve the second airman, though that second airman was ultimately recovered.
"We didn’t talk about the first one for an hour. Then somebody leaked something, which, we will hopefully find that leaker. We’re looking very hard to find that leaker," Trump said. "We’re going to go to the media company that released it, and we’re going to say, 'National security, give it up or go to jail.'"
It was not clear from the president's remarks which reporter or news organization he was referring to. Several outlets appeared to report on the first airman’s recovery within a short time period, including The New York Times, CBS News and Axios.
The White House did not provide an immediate response when asked to identify the reporter Trump threatened. The exchange comes after reports that the president has privately complained to aides in recent weeks about media coverage of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Iran, saying the coverage has been too negative. Trump and his allies have publicly criticized some news organizations' reporting on that conflict.
Separately, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr posted on X last month addressing broadcasters, saying those who air what he labeled "fake news" now have a chance to "correct course before their license renewals come up." Carr’s post included a screenshot of an earlier Truth Social message from the president asserting that "Lowlife 'Papers' and Media actually want us to lose the War."
Summary and context:
- President Trump publicly threatened legal action and imprisonment for a reporter who disclosed the recovery of an airman in Iran, saying the leak jeopardized a concurrent rescue operation.
- The president did not identify the reporter or the outlet; multiple media organizations appeared to report the first recovery.
- An FCC official previously warned broadcasters about airing false information, and the president has criticized media coverage of the conflict.
The administration's comments and the FCC chairman's social post underscore heightened tensions between the White House and portions of the media during ongoing military operations.