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In a Truth Social post early Thursday morning, President Donald Trump denied reporting that U.S. military munitions were being depleted due to his war on Iran, and threatened to pursue severe penalties for “leakers” who were telling the media otherwise.
“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought!” Trump wrote in his post.
Describing individuals as “treasonous” is a serious accusation. If criminal charges are indeed being pursued against the leakers, with treason being the primary claim against them, the maximum penalty if they are found guilty could be death, with the minimum penalty being at least five years in prison.
Trump’s public threats against his own staffers have intensified during the war on Iran, but he has also threatened treason charges against journalists over reporting that includes statements from anonymous officials within the administration.
In March, for example, following reporting that showed the war in a negative light, Trump said that the “fake news” media should “be brought up on Charges for TREASON for the dissemination of false information.”
Trump is attempting to stem the flow of information to the American public in other ways, too. Last month, it was revealed that the Justice Department subpoenaed the phone records of journalists and their family members in an effort to root out who was leaking information to the press.
The administration claimed that the action specifically targeted those who leaked information regarding security flaws of Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. But lawyers for The New York Times noted in a legal filing that the dates for the subpoenaed phone records stretched back several months before that report was made.
“That time frame strongly suggests that the department is using this investigation not to focus on any purported concerns arising from the July 8 and 9 articles, but instead to forage for information about the journalists’ source relationships more broadly,” the court filing stated.
Trump has continued to target the press throughout this week. On Thursday afternoon, the president attacked journalists who reported on depleted munitions.
“I really believe their fake ‘reporting’ is treasonous!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
In addition to threatening supposed leakers in his administration, Trump also indicated in his post that he was preparing to ramp up military manufacturing production, stating: “Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history.”
It’s possible that Trump will try to use reporting on a depleted arsenal to push Congress to approve more military spending. Earlier this summer, Trump requested around $1.5 trillion for such spending, and he has put pressure on contractors to replenish weapons stockpiles.
The spending requests — and the war itself — show blatant disregard for the actual needs of the American public, critics have said.
“Americans need health care, child care, affordable food, and a roof over their heads. No one should have to give those things up so that Trump can fight more wars,” National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies program director Lindsay Koshgarian said in June.
Press freedom is under attack
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