Retired General DESTROYS CNN’s Iran War Lies Live on Air

Liberty Check

• Retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt confronted CNN on-air for using anonymous sources with no firsthand knowledge to attack Trump’s Iran strategy
• CNN stood by its unverified reporting despite Joint Chiefs spokesman confirming sources lacked direct access to critical conversations
• The network’s ‘sources’ claimed last week no negotiations existed—Trump and Vance confirmed they were already underway

CNN got caught red-handed pushing misleading Iran war coverage—and a retired general called them out for it live on their own network.

Retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt confronted CNN Saturday after the network published an anonymously sourced report claiming Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine was privately seeking an “off-ramp” from the Iran conflict. The problem? CNN’s sources had no firsthand knowledge of the conversations they were characterizing.

“I read the CNN article and I saw quotes from unnamed sources that last week were saying there were no negotiations going on, and that proved not to be true,” Kimmitt said during the interview.

Joseph Holstead, public affairs adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, agreed with Fox News Digital’s assessment that CNN’s sources lacked firsthand knowledge of the conversations described in the report. He declined to comment on CNN’s reporting or Kimmitt’s criticism directly.

“We are not going to comment on it nor the opinion of a commentator,” Holstead said.

CNN responded with a terse statement defending their work. “We stand by our reporting,” a CNN spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The network refused to answer questions about how it vetted the anonymous sources or address Kimmitt’s claim that earlier anonymously sourced information about the negotiations was inaccurate.

By the time Kimmitt appeared on CNN, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance had already publicly confirmed that negotiations with Iran were underway—directly contradicting what CNN’s unnamed sources had been telling the network just days earlier.

Trump said Thursday he was personally involved in the discussions. Vance told Fox News Digital on Saturday that American officials were speaking with Iran about restoring oil and gas traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

CNN’s Friday article cited “three sources familiar with the matter” who claimed Caine had privately told senior Trump administration officials that airpower alone was unlikely to accomplish Trump’s objectives and that some options for escalating the conflict carried substantial risks.

“Caine is looking for an off-ramp,” one unnamed source told CNN.

Holstead rejected the anonymous characterizations in an on-the-record statement included in CNN’s report.

“We do not discuss the Chairman’s confidential conversations with the President, the Secretary, or other senior leaders, nor do we comment on anonymous, agenda-driven characterizations of those conversations by sources who were not privy to them,” Holstead said.

Kimmitt’s criticism extended beyond CNN’s questionable sourcing. The former general said the United States had not yet accomplished its central objectives involving Iran’s nuclear program, missile capabilities and support for regional proxies.

“Look, I think it’s fair to say that we are not close to achieving our strategic objectives of ending the nuclear program, ending the missile program, and cutting off support for the proxies,” Kimmitt said. “We do have the situation with the Strait of Hormuz. Those issues are undeniable.”

Kimmitt also noted that Caine had to consider the threat from China, continued support for Ukraine and the military resources available to other combatant commanders while advising the president about Iran.

CNN anchor Omar Jimenez acknowledged the network’s sourcing issues, saying reporters prefer officials to attach their names to information.

“Hey, General, you said something that we preach all the time. I sure wish more folks would go on the record, too. But that’s me as a reporter,” Jimenez said.

RNC national spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre defended Trump’s approach in a statement, portraying his Iran policy as effective and politically popular.

“President Trump’s ‘Peace through Strength’ foreign policy has been effective in preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon – something voters overwhelmingly support,” she said. “The American people trust President Trump and voters will continue to gravitate toward our candidates who are in line with his efforts to strengthen our national security and keep American communities safe.”

The sourcing dispute unfolded as the Trump administration continued negotiations intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Fox News Digital reported Friday that U.S. Central Command had halted attacks after 13 consecutive days of strikes against Iranian military targets while Washington and Tehran pursued an agreement.

Americans deserve better than anonymous sources peddling narratives that contradict reality.