{"id":3247,"date":"2026-07-13T16:39:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3247"},"modified":"2026-07-13T16:39:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:39:07","slug":"cnns-tapper-issues-fact-checks-trumps-defense-chief-over-leak-conspiracy-theories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3247","title":{"rendered":"CNN\u2019s Tapper issues fact-checks Trump\u2019s defense chief over ‘leak’ conspiracy theories"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

CNN’s Jake Tapper issued a strong fact-check after claims from President Donald Trump’s secretary of defense alleged there were people leaking information from the department.<\/p>\n

Read more Drained Reflecting Pool betrays Trump\u2019s claim of \u2018350-foot\u2019 gash in liner<\/a><\/p>\n

According to Secretary Pete Hegseth, leaks put their brave American soldiers in danger. <\/p>\n

“I have delegated tasking authority to \u2060the [Department of Defense’s] Office of \u2060General Counsel, empowering OGC to request and \u2060receive all information, records and support across the department concerning media leak investigations,” Hegseth said \u2060in an X video.<\/p>\n

Tapper responded with, “I know of one leak that put our brave pilots at risk!” <\/p>\n

He posted a link to the revealing that Hegseth used the Signal app to leak classified information to his family outside the Pentagon. <\/p>\n

He specifically quoted the significant finding that “The Secretary sent nonpublic DOD information identifying the quantity and strike times of manned U.S. aircraft over hostile territory over an unapproved, unsecure network approximately 2 to 4 hours before the execution of those strikes. Using a personal cell phone to conduct official business and send nonpublic DOD information through Signal risks potential compromise of sensitive DoD information, which could cause harm to DOD personnel and mission objectives.”<\/p>\n

The full report also had screen captures of the secretary’s message that outlined every detail about conditions and the mission ahead of the U.S. strike in Yemen against Houthi rebels. <\/p>\n

Read more Federal agents shoot and kill a man in Maine<\/a><\/p>\n

Hegseth risked “endangering U.S. troops by using the Signal messaging app to share military plans before the first attack in Yemen,” the IG ruled. <\/p>\n

Tapper went on to cite the reports finding that “if this information had fallen into the hands of U.S. adversaries, Houthi forces might have been able to counter U.S. forces or reposition personnel and assets to avoid planned U.S. strikes\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though these events did not ultimately occur, the secretary\u2019s actions created a risk to operational security that could have resulted in failed U.S. mission objectives and potential harm to U.S. pilots,” Tapper added from the report. <\/p>\n

“Some call them whistleblowers. When they\u2019re alerting the public to government lies and malfeasance, for instance,” Tapper later added.<\/p>\n

Read more The real story behind the GOP\u2019s beef with James Talarico<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

To leak sensitive national defense information is to betray our warriors and put them in danger.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the @DEPTOFWAR and @THEJUSTICEDEPT have created a joint task force to IDENTIFY AND PROSECUTE LEAKERS. pic.twitter.com\/pMqXuo21Mm
\u2014 Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) July 13, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CNN’s Jake Tapper issued a strong fact-check after claims from President Donald Trump’s secretary of defense alleged there were people leaking information from the department.According to Secretary Pete Hegseth, leaks put their brave American soldiers in danger. “I have delegated tasking authority t…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCNN\u2019s Tapper issues fact-checks Trump\u2019s defense chief over 'leak' conspiracy theories - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3247\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CNN\u2019s Tapper issues fact-checks Trump\u2019s defense chief over 'leak' conspiracy theories - Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"CNN's Jake Tapper issued a strong fact-check after claims from President Donald Trump's secretary of defense alleged there were people leaking information from the department.According to Secretary Pete Hegseth, leaks put their brave American soldiers in danger. 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