Oh, man, grab some popcorn and bourbon for this smackdown. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth held an early morning press conference at 8:00 AM to discuss the follow-up to Operation Midnight Hammer, which reportedly damaged Iran's nuclear capabilities. The bunker buster bombs did their job, destroying the centrifuges at Fordow.
This comes after 36 hours of abject fake news about the strikes, with CNN and others touting a leaked low-confidence, top-secret intelligence report claiming that Iran’s nuclear program wasn’t set back. The same terrible ‘Russian collusion and Hunter Biden laptop is Russian disinformation’ reporters launched the salvo, which got slapped down by facts. First, this operation was carried out successfully with near-total secrecy, and this report claims it did nothing in less than 24 hours. It didn’t pass the smell test. Second, whoever leaked it wasn’t privy to the details of the operation at all. It was chum for the rabidly anti-Trump media, and they took it hook, line, and sinker. They can’t stand a president who knows how to lead. Period.
🚨TRUTH AIRED ON CNN, FINALLY — After spreading fake news: "It worked! It seems to have worked flawlessly!"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 26, 2025
Total Trump vindication.
"I think from what I've seen, the 20,000 centrifuges...they are all completely destroyed. I am VERY CONFIDENT those centrifuges are GONE!"
In… pic.twitter.com/1ZIPhzzsMR
Hegseth took some extended time to obliterate the media this morning, going all yakuza on them for their serially inaccurate and laughably biased reporting on the strikes. He wrecked them with a Massive Ordnance Penetrator:
🚨 BREAKING: SecDef Pete Hegseth stares right at the press and goes scorched earth, spelling out their insanity. I could watch this all day.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 26, 2025
"You, and I mean specifically YOU, the press, you cheer against Trump so hard, it's in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump,… pic.twitter.com/nmazQcUP8a
You, and I mean specifically YOU, the press, you cheer against Trump so hard, it's in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump, because you want him not to be successful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes. You have to hope maybe they weren't effective."
"Maybe the way the Trump administration is representative isn't true. So let's take half truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it, spin it in every way we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the mind, the public mind, over whether or not our brave pilots were successful."
"How many stories have been written about how hard it is to, I don't know, fly a plane for 36 hours? Has MSNBC done that story? Has Fox? Have we done the story how hard that is?"
"There are so many aspects of what our brave men and women did that because of the hatred of this press corps are undermined because people are trying to leak and spin that it wasn't successful. It's irresponsible."
"You're undermining the success of incredible B-2 pilots and incredible F-35 pilots and incredible refuelers and incredible air defenders who accomplished their mission."
"How about we talk about how special America is, that only we have these capabilities? I think it's too much to ask, unfortunately, for the fake news. So we're used to that."
It didn’t stop there: the defense secretary read the real reports on the air strikes, which demonstrated the mission’s success. It would be good news for Trump, so they likely buried it. Besides Hegseth putting on a clinic for the media on how to do their jobs, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine demonstrated the power of a bunker buster, along with providing another recap of the operation and its objectives.
"IT'S IRRESPONSIBLE."
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 26, 2025
Hegseth SHAMES the media for reporting on a leaked “preliminary” “low confidence” report in an attempt to cast doubt on the success of U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/upmwztr1WQ
🔥🔥🔥HEGSETH SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT, lists all the intelligence assessments that CONFIRM the U.S. airstrikes were a success and Iran’s nuclear facilities were:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 26, 2025
"Destroyed"
"Rendered...inoperable"
"Significantly damaged...setting [the nuclear program] back by years." pic.twitter.com/oNutfKrfwT
HEGSETH: "President Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history and it was a resounding success resulting in a ceasefire agreement and the end of the twelve day war." pic.twitter.com/fWgvHAxXlU
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 26, 2025
Q) What change in the last three days?@SecDef "There was a great deal of irresponsible reporting based on leaks and preliminary information in low confidence.
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) June 26, 2025
When someone leaks something, they do it an agenda; when you leak a portion of intelligence assessment, just a little… pic.twitter.com/1hisukVXnE
. @thejointstaff "Crews went to work on Friday; they kissed their loved ones goodbye, not knowing when or if they would be home.
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) June 26, 2025
Late on Saturday night, their families became aware of what was happening, and on Sunday, when those jets returned from Whiteman, their families were… pic.twitter.com/xcA79ecLFR
. @thejointstaff demonstrated the incredible power of the MOP: pic.twitter.com/D0GANykrhm
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) June 26, 2025
. @SecDef "First reports are almost always wrong and incomplete...
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) June 26, 2025
Your job is to step back and assess them, and that is why we urge caution about putting premise stories on biased leaks and biased publications to try to make something look bad.
Take a beat, recognize the… pic.twitter.com/8NDodbiNJf
Also, the media still can't get out of their own way:
. @SecDef gave the PERFECT response when asked
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) June 26, 2025
"Why not acknowledge female pilots that participated, early messages congratulated the boys?" pic.twitter.com/BAqwj6bfdV
Poor Jen Griffin:
🚨 @SecDef Pete Hegseth to Fox News' Jennifer Griffin: "You've been about the worst, the one who misrepresents the most — INTENTIONALLY!"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 26, 2025
She immediately says that she takes "issue" with that characterization. pic.twitter.com/bjjOTb7Icg
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