Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clashed publicly with Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin during a press conference early Thursday morning, criticizing her coverage as tensions escalated over leaked intelligence assessments related to the recent U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The exchange began when Griffin questioned whether U.S. officials had confirmed that all of Iran’s highly enriched uranium had been stored inside the Fordow mountain facility during the strike. She referenced satellite images showing over a dozen trucks arriving at the location in the days prior to the attack.
Hegseth responded by affirming that the site had been monitored but then turned his attention to Griffin personally, saying, “Jennifer, you’ve been about the worst. The one who misrepresents the most intentionally.”
Griffin quickly pushed back, sitting upright in her seat. “In fact, I was the first to describe the B-2 bombers, the refueling, the entire mission with great accuracy,” she said. “So I take issue with that.”
“I appreciate that,” Hegseth replied, without retracting his earlier remark.
The tense moment underscored growing friction between the Pentagon and members of the press corps following reports that cast doubt on the extent of the damage inflicted by U.S. airstrikes. Media outlets, citing leaked preliminary intelligence, have reported that Iran’s nuclear program may have been set back by only a few months contradicting President Trump’s assertion that the facilities were “totally destroyed.”
Hegseth used the press briefing to criticize what he called an overemphasis on leaked assessments rather than the risks undertaken by U.S. service members in carrying out the mission. He echoed the administration’s position that the intelligence was incomplete and should not have been made public.
The White House has taken a hardline stance on the leak, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the individual responsible “should be in jail.”
Griffin, a respected and long-serving Pentagon correspondent at Fox News, previously reported on Hegseth’s alleged sharing of sensitive information with Cabinet members via encrypted messaging apps a revelation that drew criticism from military officials at the time.
The incident prompted commentary later on Fox, where chief political analyst Brit Hume came to Griffin’s defense. “Her professionalism, her knowledge, her experience at the Pentagon is unmatched,” Hume said. “The attack on her was unfair.”
The confrontation reflects the mounting pressure on journalists covering military operations, particularly amid a volatile geopolitical climate and an administration aggressively defending its narrative.