Hegseth blasts CNN: The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better'
thehill.com

... Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blasted CNN on Friday morning for its coverage of the Iran war, exclaiming that the "sooner" Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison "takes over that network, the better."

"Fake news from CNN reports that the Trump administration underestimated the Iran war's impact on the Strait of Hormuz. Patently ridiculous, of course. For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the strait hostage," Hegseth said during the press briefing at the Pentagon.

"CNN doesn't think we thought of that. It's a fundamentally unserious report. The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better," Hegseth, a former Fox News host, told reporters.

A CNN spokesperson told The Hill on Friday morning that "we stand by our reporting."

Ellison's company reached a deal to acquire CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, earlier this month.

Ellison has insisted CNN will maintain its editorial independence should the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger clear.

"Editorial independence will absolutely be maintained. It's maintained at CBS. It'll be maintained at CNN," he said during an interview on CNBC. ...