President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to prosecute a journalist who reported how U.S. forces rescued an airman downed by Iran last week and were searching for a second one, claiming the reporter must give up their anonymous source or “go to jail.”
Trump did not specify the journalist or outlet, but a White House official told TheWrap an investigation was underway.
The president said during a press briefing that “God was watching” the Easter weekend operation that saw U.S. forces save the second airman under a CIA deception campaign. However, he took issue with an alleged leaker who disclosed to an unspecified news outlet last week that the second pilot was missing after the first airman was rescued.
“We didn’t talk about the first one for an hour, then somebody leaked something, which we’ll hopefully find that leaker,” Trump said. “We’re looking very hard to find that leaker … They didn’t know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information. So whoever there was, we think we’ll be able to find it out, because we’re going to go to the media company that released it, and we’re going to say, ‘National security, give it up or go to jail.’“
Trump claimed the unauthorized disclosure meant Iran learned a U.S. pilot was missing in the country and “fighting for his life.”
“We have to find that leaker, because that’s a sick person,” Trump said. “Probably didn’t realize the extent of how bad it was. I can’t imagine that person did, but we’re going to find out it’s national security, and the person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn’t say.”
Trump’s threat alarmed First Amendment advocates.
“News organizations have a First Amendment right to publish stories about matters of public importance—including stories the government would prefer to suppress,” Jameel Jaffer, executive director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said in a statement.
“President Trump’s threat to force journalists to disclose their sources raises serious press freedom concerns because journalists’ ability to do their work turns in part on their ability to protect their sources’ identities,” he continued. “President Trump’s threat should be understood as an effort to intimidate the press and to prevent journalists from doing work the public needs them to do.”
