Pete Hegseth Trashes CNN Mid-Briefing: ‘The Sooner David Ellison Takes Over…’

The defense secretary dismissed CNN's reporting that the Trump administration underestimated Iran's response to the Israeli-U.S. attacks.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday used his Pentagon press briefing to attack the media, singling out CNN and saying that the sooner Paramount CEO David Ellison “takes over that network, the better.” (Watch video below.)

Hegseth took issue with a CNN report published Thursday saying that the Trump administration underestimated just how willing Iran would be to close the Strait of Hormuz and the economic impact of the move during their planning for the war as “patently ridiculous.”

“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,” Hegseth said. “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt doubled down on Hegseth’s criticism of CNN’s report, calling the article “garbage.”

“The Fake News is working overtime to discredit President Trump, his Administration, and our U.S. Military, all of whom are working 24/7 to eliminate the threat of the Iranian regime,” Leavitt claimed. “It’s a complete disgrace to witness this from the media, and we will keep fighting back against it.”