President Donald Trump of the United States has pledged to take criminal action against the person who leaked information about a U.S. military rescue effort in Iran, claiming that the information put an American service member and the operation's troops in danger.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said that after one crew member had already been saved, a leak to the media had shown that a second American airman was still unaccounted for. The president claims that the revelation made the rescue effort much riskier by informing Iranian authorities that another American was still on the ground.
"They didn't know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information," Trump claimed. "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.'"
Additionally, Trump asserted that the leak increased the risk to the hundreds of military men engaged in the search as well as the missing airman. He stated that his administration is aggressively looking into where the material came from and plans to find out who gave it to the media.
The president did not name the journalist or media outlet in question. His comments have spurred discussion on how to strike a balance between maintaining journalistic freedom and safeguarding national security. The threat to force journalists to reveal confidential sources has drawn criticism from proponents of press freedom, while administration officials contend that unapproved disclosures of vital military material might put lives in danger.
The debate comes after two American servicemen were successfully rescued after their plane was shot down during Iran-related activities. Although no charges have been made public, federal officials are still looking into the leak.
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