War Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s press briefings about the war in Iran often feature his criticism of the “dishonest” media’s portrayal of the conflict, so its absence from Tuesday’s briefing was notable.
Hegseth, in his first press briefing in more than a week, instead focused on the overall mission in an appearance that lasted a little over 35 minutes.
Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine took questions for about 15 minutes of the press availability. The secretary took questions from OAN, Real America’s Voice, the Daily Caller, the Daily Wire, Just the News, Breitbart, and Reuters, but he focused primarily on operational details. However, he did call out European nations such as the United Kingdom to help police the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier this month at his last press conference, Hegseth opened his remarks by saying: “I stand here today speaking to you, the American people, not through filters, not through reporters, not through cable news spin.”
“A dishonest and anti-Trump press will stop at nothing, we know this at this point, to downplay progress, amplify every cost and call into question every step,” he added. “Sadly, [Trump derangement syndrome] is in their DNA. They want President Trump to fail, but you, the American people, know better.”
In a briefing on March 10, he called out CNN specifically for its reporting on the war.
“More fake news from CNN, ‘reports that the Trump administration underestimated the Iran war’s impact on the Strait of Hormuz’ — patently ridiculous, of course,” he said. “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. It’s a fundamentally unserious report. The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”
He also rebuked the media in the briefing on March 4, and alleged the media report on American fatalities in war “to make the president look bad.”
Caine briefs the media alongside Hegseth but does not engage or respond to the secretary’s criticisms.
Hegseth, a former Fox News television personality prior to his nomination to serve as Trump’s Pentagon chief, has long criticized the American media for its coverage of the War Department and service members.
Simultaneously, the department has implemented restrictions on reporters’ access in the building. Last year, officials implemented new restrictions on the places reporters can be in the building, though they have never been permitted in classified spaces, and mandated that they sign new agreements about the solicitation of information from officials.
Nearly every credentialed Pentagon reporter, from left-leaning, legacy, and conservative outlets, including the Washington Examiner, handed in their badges instead of signing the document, and the New York Times has sued the department over the policy.
The Pentagon offered credentials to other media members if they decided to sign the policy, many of whom are from right-leaning outlets. Hegseth frequently calls on those reporters during Iran war briefings.
The case is still working its way through the court system, though the department has allowed formerly credentialed reporters to attend briefings on the war.
PENTAGON ANNOUNCES NEW PRESS RESTRICTIONS AFTER JUDGE REVOKES PRESS BAN
Last week, District Judge Paul Friedman, a Clinton-appointed judge, ruled in favor of the New York Times, blocking the administration from enforcing the policy that the judge agreed was illegally violating the journalists’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process. The Pentagon said it would appeal the ruling and announced a new policy that disallows all reporters from accessing the building, instead saying they would allow reporters to work in an annex, not in the Pentagon.
Lawyers for the New York Times argued in a hearing on Monday that the revised Pentagon policy was an end-around maneuver to circumvent the judge’s ruling, though the judge did not make an immediate ruling.
