Hegseth blasts CNN: ‘The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better’

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The Hill's Headlines — March 12, 2026

The Hill's Headlines — March 12, 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blasted CNN Friday morning for its coverage of the Iran war, exclaiming that the “sooner” Paramount CEO David Ellison “takes over that network, the better.” 

“Fake news from CNN reports that the Trump administration underestimated the Iran war’s impact on the Strait of Hormuz. Patently ridiculous, of course. For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the strait hostage,” Hegseth said during the press briefing at the Pentagon. 

“CNN doesn’t think we thought of that. It’s a fundamentally unserious report. The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better,” Hegseth, a former Fox News host, told reporters. 

Ellison’s company acquired CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, earlier this month. In a recent interview, Ellison pledged that CNN will maintain its editorial independence.

“Editorial independence will absolutely be maintained. It’s maintained at CBS. It’ll be maintained at CNN,” he said during an interview on CNBC. 

Paramount Skydance acquired the company with a $111 billion after a bidding war with Netflix, although the purchase still needs regulatory approval. 

Hegseth has repeatedly chastised the news media for their coverage of the Pentagon and the U.S. military, arguing outlets are looking to make the U.S. armed forces look bad. 

“People look up at the TV and they see banners. They see headlines. I used to be in that business, and I know that everything is written intentionally. For example, a banner or a headline. Mideast war intensifies splashing on the screen,” Hegseth said Friday morning. 

“What should the banner read instead? How about Iran increasingly desperate? Because they are,” he told reporters during his opening remarks. “They know it.”

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