President Trump expressed his desire for CNN correspondent Natasha Bertrand to be fired on Wednesday after commenting on a U.S. intelligence report. This report suggested that a recent strike on Iran’s nuclear sites had delayed Tehran’s nuclear program for several months.
Trump took to his social media platform, stating, “Natasha Bertrand should be fired from CNN! I saw her doing fake news for three days. She should be rebuked and abandoned ‘like a dog.'” He accused Bertrand of attempting to tarnish the reputation of a Patriot pilot.
He acknowledged that preliminary classified reports were still pending completion, yet members of his administration promised to look into the leaks reported by various media outlets, including the New York Times and the Washington Post.
Trump has particularly focused on Bertrand’s reporting, insisting on social media that she “should not be allowed to work for fake news CNN.” He elaborated, criticizing her for damaging the reputation of a once-great network, stating that her reporting “clearly had a negative slope” and questioning her qualifications as a correspondent.
While Trump and his administration have reiterated claims that the nuclear facilities were “completely destroyed” by the strike, they also referenced Israel’s assessment, which indicated that the attack would postpone nuclear developments for several years.
In response, CNN stated on Wednesday that Natasha Bertrand’s reporting, along with her colleagues, has provided valuable coverage of early assessments regarding U.S. actions against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
A CNN spokesman remarked, “The network has extensively covered President Trump’s own skepticism.” They defended Bertrand’s reporting, asserting that it was reasonable for CNN reporters to accurately reflect the findings of intelligence assessments and convey them to the public.
