Donald Trump threatened to jail journalist(s) who reported that a second U.S. airman was missing after being shot down by Iran on Friday, in an effort to identify the source of the information.
Search for Leaker Underway
The injured airman hid in a mountain crevice to avoid capture before being rescued by a U.S. recovery team that received heavy fire. Trump announced on Sunday that the service member had been recovered.
During a press conference at the White House on Monday, Trump told reporters his government was aggressively pursuing the “leaker” who revealed information about the missing airman to the media. He claimed the news report put Iran on notice and endangered the airman.
“They basically said that ‘we have one and there’s somebody missing.’ Well, they didn’t know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information,” Trump said. “So whoever it was, we think we’ll be able to find it out because 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.’”
Trump did not name the outlet or the reporter he was threatening.
Increased Targeting of Media
Trump has increased efforts to target media companies publishing reporting he dislikes, regularly threatening lawsuits and restricting access. In January, the FBI raided the home of a Washington Post reporter. The reporter, Hannah Natanson, had aggressively covered Trump’s oversight of federal agencies, generating more than 1,000 anonymous government sources that contributed to her reporting. The case is still playing out in a Virginia court.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for specifics about the media company Trump was referring to. A White House official later said an investigation was under way.
Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said, “Journalists don’t work for the government and their right to publish government leaks is protected by the first amendment which, despite Trump’s efforts, remains the law of the land, and does not disappear whenever the words ‘national security’ are uttered. To the extent that the government is allowed to withhold information, it’s up to the government to keep its secrets, not journalists.”
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