Hegseth Pressed Downed Airmen Into 60 Minutes
Hegseth Pressed Downed Airmen Into 60 Minutes
The News
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and political appointees in his office pushed the two crew members of an F-15 shot down over Iran in April to sit for Sunday's "60 Minutes" report on their rescue, CNN reported Saturday.
Both airmen initially raised concerns about taking part. Hegseth then met with them privately and left the decision to them.
One crew member, identified as "Bravo," agreed to appear. The other, "Alpha," declined.
The Pentagon says each airman decided for himself. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called CNN's account "a complete lie."
Timeline
An F-15 with two crew members aboard is shot down over Iran, setting off the rescue operation at the center of the "60 Minutes" segment.
Hegseth and political appointees in his office press both crew members to participate, according to CNN. Three sources told the network the appointees insisted both airmen take part despite reservations inside the military.
CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss personally lobbies Hegseth to land the exclusive, three CBS sources told CNN. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine raises concerns about the inadvertent disclosure of tactics but agrees to participate.
CNN publishes its account of the pressure campaign. Mediaite and Raw Story follow.
The "60 Minutes" segment airs as the program's season premiere.
Reactions
Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, rejected the reporting outright, calling it "a complete lie." The Pentagon's position is that each airman's decision was entirely his own.
Two sources told CNN that uniformed members of the military saw the segment as an effort to use troops' heroism for political purposes.
Military officials also worried the interview could expose classified rescue tactics while U.S. forces remain in active combat against Iran, CNN reported.
What's Next
The segment airs Sunday. The open questions are whether the broadcast surfaces any operationally sensitive detail about the rescue, and whether the Pentagon formally raised classified concerns before it aired.
It is also unclear whether CBS or the Pentagon imposed any editorial limits on what the participating airman could discuss.
More
The dispute lands as the Iran war has grown increasingly unpopular, according to CNN's reporting — which is why the question of who pushed for the interview, and why, is more than a media-booking story.
Poll
Should the Pentagon ask rescued service members to do prime-time interviews about active operations?
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