CNN’s Jake Tapper Goes Off on ‘Deranged’ Trump Attack on CNN and NY Times: ‘Reporting Facts Isn’t Treason’

CNN anchor Jake Tapper hammered President Donald Trump over his “deranged” attack on CNN and The New York Times, in which he accused the outlets of being “treasonous.”

Trump went off on New York Times White House and National Security Correspondent David Sanger aboard Air Force One on Friday, and included CNN among his targets for reporting on the Iran war that displeased him.

On Friday’s edition of CNN’s The Lead, Tapper went off on Trump, calling his rant “deranged” and diefiantly declaring “reporting these facts isn’t treason”:

TAPPER: President Trump had some choice words on Air Force One for the widely respected New York Times national security reporter and CNN analyst, David Sanger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I had a total military victory, but the fake news, guys like you write incorrectly. You’re a fake guy and guys like you write about it incorrectly. We had a total military victory. I actually think it’s sort of treasonous what you write, but you and “The New York Times” and CNN, you should be ashamed of this. I actually think it’s treason when you write like they’re doing well militarily.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: This is all part of a Trump campaign. Here’s a Truth Social post from earlier this week. “When the fake news says that the Iranian enemy is doing well militarily against us, it’s virtual treason in that it is such a false and even preposterous statement. They are aiding and abetting the enemy. All it does is give Iran false hope when none should exist.”

So two important points here. One, “The New York Times” has not reported that the Iranians are doing, “well” militarily, nor has CNN. “The New York Times” and CNN have reported, as is accurate, that despite devastating U.S. and Israeli blows to the Iranian military and Iranian leadership, the Iranians continue to have some military abilities.

Three days ago, “The Times” reported that U.S. intelligence shows Iran retains substantial missile capabilities, “operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz.” On April 2nd, CNN reported U.S. intelligence assessed, “half of Iran’s missile launchers roughly were intact and thousands of one-way attack drones remain in Iran’s arsenal.” And yesterday, CNN did an analysis noting the intelligence contradicts Trump’s assertions about how obliterated Iran’s military actually is.

All of what “The Times” and CNN have reported is 100 percent true. This is what the intelligence run by Trump administration agencies is assessing. Now, the second point, reporting these facts isn’t treason and it’s deranged for any president to say such a thing and potentially dangerous for the reporters he’s accusing of treason. As defined in the U.S. Constitution, treason is levying war against the U.S. or adhering to its enemies and giving them aid and comfort.

This has been defined in courts as concrete actions with traitorous intent, not reporting facts. Was it treason when the news media reported the fall of Saigon in 1975? Was it treasonous when we here at CNN reported that the Taliban had taken over Kabul during the disastrous U.S. exit from Afghanistan in 2021? Of course not. Of course it wasn’t treasonous.

Treason, of course, is punishable by death potentially, which is all part of the point of the President’s accusation. He wants to intimidate news media to not report anything that doesn’t please him or adhere to what he’s trying to tell the American people, facts be damned. The President’s real issue here is not with us. It is with the facts that we are reporting and with the intelligence reports that contradict his claims.

His real issue is the fact that the war isn’t over. And it seems his real issue is that there are still some of us willing to tell the American people these facts despite his best efforts.

Joining us now is the panel. And I just — I only want to talk about this for one more question, but I do want to share with “The New York Times.” A spokesperson said to me after Trump said this about David Sanger and CNN and “Times,” “President Trump seems to misunderstand this fundamental role for a free press in a democracy and particularly its responsibility to examine the reality underlying government pronouncements and question their accuracy if the evidence points that way. It’s independent reporting and the core of our responsibilities.”

Watch above via CNN’s The Lead.

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