Hegseth Scolds Media, a Fox Reporter Especially

Defense chief Pete Hegseth scolded the media on Thursday for playing up a leaked preliminary assessment of the Iran airstrikes, one that suggested a relatively mild setback to Tehran's nuclear program. And during the press conference, he went after a former colleague at Fox News in particular, reports the Hill. The exchange came as Jennifer Griffin questioned whether the US could be sure Iran hadn't moved its stocks of enriched uranium to safety before the airstrikes.

• "Jennifer, you've been about the worst. The one who misrepresents the most intentionally," Hegseth told her.

• Griffin then pushed back, saying: "In fact, I was the first to describe the B-2 bombers, the refueling, the entire mission with great accuracy. So I take issue with that." Hegseth responded, "I appreciate that."
• During the news conference, Hegseth generally accused the media of looking for negative stories about President Trump. "Searching for scandals, you miss historic moments like recruiting at the Pentagon, historic levels in the Army, the Air Force and the Navy," he said, per the New York Times. And in regard to the debate over how to describe the damage in Iran, per ABC News: "You want to call it destroyed, you want to call it defeated, you want to call it obliterated—choose your word. This was an historically successful attack."
• Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan CaineCaine spoke about the detailed planning that preceded the strikes and lauded the service members who took part, per NBC News, but neither offered more details on the destruction of Iran's nuclear sites.
• One reporter asked Caine if he'd been pressured to give a rosy assessment. "No, I have not, and no, I would not," per the Times.