Karoline Leavitt Hangs Trump’s Energy Secretary Out to Dry Over Deleted Claim About Oil Tankers: Post Was Taken Down ‘Pretty Quickly’

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday directly refuted a claim made by a top cabinet official regarding oil tanker escorts.

Early on in the war between Iran and the U.S., Iran forces sought to block the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to cause global economic strain. The strait is a vital passage for oil transportation, and its closure to American ships has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump. To combat this, he has floated the possibility of sending naval escorts to protect ships passing through.

On Tuesday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright published a tweet claiming the U.S. Navy had successful escorted an oil tanker through the strait. That tweet, however, was quickly deleted. Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin declared the claim was “not true,” citing her own military sources.

Asked for an explanation on apparent mix-up by Hadriana Lowenkron of Bloomberg, Leavitt said:

Yes, I was made aware of this post. I haven’t had a chance to talk to the Energy Secretary about it directly. However, I know the post was taken down pretty quickly, and I can confirm that the U.S. Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time, though, of course, that’s an option the president has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time.

Lowenkron pressed further on topic, asking if it were possible the post was erroneously published by a staffer. A similar excuse was notably made when Trump’s Truth Social account posted an AI-generated video depicting the Obamas as monkeys.

“Again, I would defer you to the Department of Energy to answer that question,” Leavitt responded.

Watch above via CNN

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!