00:00Is it the position of this administration that the press should not prominently cover the deaths
00:04of U.S. service members? Should accurately report on the success of Operation Epic Fury and the
00:09damage it is doing. If the Iranian regime had their choice, they would kill every single person
00:14in this room for every troop that is based in the Middle East. That's what these...
00:18Secretary Hexack was complaining that it was front page news about these six service members
00:22who were killed. That's not what the secretary said, Caitlin, and that's not what the secretary
00:26meant and you know it. Who cares more? Tragic things happen. It's front page news. I get
00:31it. The press only wants to make the president look bad. As you know, we cover the deaths of
00:34U.S. service members under every president. The press does only want to make the president
00:38look bad, especially you and especially CNN. And the secretary of defense cares deeply.
00:43So please, so please... That's not making the president look bad. That's showcasing that.
00:48We expect you to cover that as you should. Covering troop deaths is trying to make the president
00:53If you're trying to argue right now that CNN's overwhelming coverage is not negative of President
00:58Donald Trump... You just mentioned that the president is going to attend the dignified
01:02transfer for these families. Given what Secretary Hexack said this morning, is it the position
01:07of this administration that the press should not prominently cover the deaths of U.S. service
01:11members? No. It's the position of this administration that the press in this room and the press across
01:16the country should accurately report on the success of Operation Epic Fury and the damage
01:22it is doing to the rogue Iranian regime that has threatened the lives of every single American
01:27in this room. If the Iranian regime had their choice, they would kill every single person
01:31in this room. And so we can all be very grateful that we have an administration and that we have
01:36men and women in our armed forces who are willing to sacrifice their own lives for the rest
01:41of us in this room and for every American across the country and for every troop that is based
01:45in the Middle East. That's what these... Secretary Hexack was complaining that it was front page
01:49news about these six servicemembers who were killed. That's not what the secretary said, Caitlin,
01:53and that's not what the secretary meant. And you know it. You know you are being disingenuous.
01:57There is not... We've never had a secretary of defense. Who cares more?
02:01We don't get through where tragic things happen. It's front page news. I get it. The press only wants
02:05to make the president look bad. Yeah. As you know, we cover the deaths of U.S. service members
02:08under every president. The press does only want to make the president look bad. That's
02:12a fact. No, listen to me. Especially you and especially CNN. And the secretary of defense
02:20cares deeply about our war fighters and our men and women in uniform. He travels all across
02:25this country to meet with them, to connect with them, and your network has hardly ever probably
02:30reported on that. You also have the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Chairman Cain, who's a brave
02:35patriot standing alongside the secretary at the Pentagon this morning, again expressing
02:40his condolences to these families. And I just told you that the president of the United States
02:44will be attending their dignified transfer. So please, so please...
02:48That's not making the president look bad. That's showcasing that.
02:51We expect you to cover that as you should. We expect you to cover that as you should, Caitlin.
02:56But you and your network know that you take every single thing this administration says and tries
03:01to use it to make the president look bad. That is an objectable fact.
03:06I don't think covering troop deaths is trying to make the president look bad.
03:08If you're trying to argue right now that CNN's overwhelming coverage is not negative of
03:13President Donald Trump, I think the American people would tend to agree. And your ratings
03:18would tend to disagree with that as well.
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