Kaitlan Collins Gets The Last Word After Karoline Leavitt Blow-Up - HuffPost

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins clapped back at White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt following the aftermath of their clash in the briefing room Wednesday over criticism of the network’s coverage of the conflict in Iran.

“Needless to say, our coverage of Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country is not about the president, and it’s not about CNN either. It’s about the people that you’re looking at here,” Collins said on her show “The Source” Wednesday night.

She went on to name the U.S. service members who have been killed so far in the attacks against Iran: Captain Cody Khork, Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor, Sergeant Declan Coady, Major Jeffrey O’Brien and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan.

Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused news outlets of trying to make President Donald Trump “look bad” with their coverage of the deceased service members.

“This is what the fake news misses,” Hegseth said. “We’ve taken control of Iran’s airspace and waterways without boots on the ground. But when a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it’s front page news.”

When Collins confronted the press secretary over Hegseth’s comments, Leavitt responded: “The press across the country should accurately report on the success of Operation Epic Fury and the damage it is doing to the rogue Iranian regime that has threatened the lives of every single American in this room.”

When grilled further about Hegseth’s comments, Leavitt scolded the senior White House correspondent as “disingenuous” before the two erupted into a tense back-and-forth.

“The press does only want to make the president look bad,” Leavitt said. “That’s a fact. Especially you, and especially CNN.”

Leavitt then took a jab at CNN’s coverage of Trump, telling Collins if she’s “trying to argue right now that CNN’s overwhelming coverage is not negative of President Donald Trump, I think the American people would tend to agree, and your ratings would tend to disagree with that, as well.”

On her show later that night, Collins told viewers her network’s coverage is simply about the troops who died.

“May they rest in peace, and may their memory be a blessing for their families, their loved ones and their nation,” Collins said.