President Trump on Thursday responded to a Washington Post article, which claimed that War Secretary Pete Hegseth misled the President on a reported munitions shortage, and he went off on the outlet, accusing them of “treason” for publishing leaked information about the US military.
“I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing. Everything has been extraordinary, including our attack on Venezuela, where the result was accomplished in less than one day, allowing us to bring one of the worst criminals anywhere in the World, Nicolas Maduro, to Justice!” Trump said. “Likewise, Iran, where the country has been decimated for the purpose of NOT ALLOWING IT TO EVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, is going very well! Pete is highly respected within the Military, and has made tremendous improvements, including getting rid of DEI, and increasing recruitment to historic levels.”
This comes after Trump overnight denied reports that munition supplies are “dangerously low,” saying, “The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types. Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed.”
The President added, “The ‘ leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long-term jail sentences will be sought!”
But the Washington Post published a story overnight, claiming that Hegseth misled Trump on “extreme munitions shortages,” which the outlet credited for Trump’s decision to call off strikes against Iran over the weekend. Trump previously said he was planning “the biggest attack since World War II” before he called off the attacks to restart peace negotiations.
The report claims that Trump confronted Hegseth during a cabinet meeting at Camp David last week amid his “increasing frustration.” It further claims that Hegseth blamed Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg for not apprising Trump of the reported shortage.
The Washington Post reports:
The encounter took place on the sidelines of his Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday where Trump vented at Hegseth that he thought the munitions issue “had been fixed,” according to both people familiar with the conversation, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation.
…
Back at Camp David, as he was confronted by Trump over the bare weapons stockpile, Hegseth defended himself and blamed his deputy, Stephen Feinberg, for the shortages and for not ensuring Trump was fully apprised of the issue, both people familiar said.
The exchange underscored Trump’s increasing frustration with his defense secretary, who was one of the biggest early advocates for taking military action against Iran, convincing Trump it would be a quick and relatively easy win, according to multiple officials.
In a statement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied the report, telling the Post, “This is 100% fake news. Literally never happened. And President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth.”
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell also told the Post, “Secretary Hegseth did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture, and he did not blame Deputy Secretary Feinberg. These claims about depleted stockpiles, internal disagreements, the Secretary’s position on Iran … are equally fictional”
Trump responded, calling the report “false and completely unfounded rumors,” adding that he is “extremely happy” with Pete Hegseth as Secretary of War.
“This rumor was started by The Washington ComPost, one of the worst Media Outlets in the business, despite our telling them their story is completely FALSE,” he said.
He further suggested that the Post’s reporting is “treasonous.”
Full statement below:
The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing. Everything has been extraordinary, including our attack on Venezuela, where the result was accomplished in less than one day, allowing us to bring one of the worst criminals anywhere in the World, Nicolas Maduro, to Justice!
Likewise, Iran, where the country has been decimated for the purpose of NOT ALLOWING IT TO EVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, is going very well! Pete is highly respected within the Military, and has made tremendous improvements, including getting rid of DEI, and increasing recruitment to historic levels.
This rumor was started by The Washington ComPost, one of the worst Media Outlets in the business, despite our telling them their story is completely FALSE. In actuality, I really believe their fake “reporting” is treasonous! President DONALD J. TRUMP
The post Trump Says “Washington ComPost” Report Claiming Pete Hegseth Misled Trump on Munition Stockpiles is “Fake” and “Treasonous” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.