Trump Says Gov't Will Find 'Leaker' Who Prematurely Gave Info on Iran Rescue Mission to Media

President Trump threatened an unnamed reporter with potential jail time if they do not disclose who leaked sensitive information to them regarding the US military's recent mission to rescue two downed airmen in Iran.

For Context: Two US troops were stranded in Iran last week after their fighter jet was shot down. One was rescued swiftly, while the other sustained injuries and remained in hiding in Iran as the nation searched for him. Several mainstream news outlets reported on the second pilot still being stranded in Iran around the same time. Trump said the rescue mission involved 155 total aircraft, including four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers and 13 rescue aircraft. An extensive April 6 feature from BBC News (Center bias) chronicled the rescue operation and various reporting on it. 

Key Quotes: Trump told reporters on Monday, "As you probably know, we didn't talk about the first one for an hour and then somebody leaked something… They basically said that we have one and there's somebody missing. Well, [Iran] didn't know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information. So, whoever it 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." He added, "All of a sudden the entire country of Iran knew that there was a pilot that was somewhere on their land that was fighting for his life. And it also made it much more difficult for the pilots and for the people going in to search for him… Iran put out a major notice, you all saw it, offering a very big award for anybody that captures the pilot. So in addition to a hostile, very talented, very good, very evil military, we had millions of people trying to get an award."

How The Media Covered It: Most outlets from the left noted that Trump said a reporter could face jail time if they don't cooperate with the government, whereas most outlets from the right emphasized his comments as an effort to find the leaker. Some outlets from the center, like Reuters (Center), Britain's The Times (Center), and Turkish state media Anadolu Agency (Center), published headlines more similar to those from the left. The Washington Examiner (Lean Right) also broke from the right in doing so.

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