Trump Says Leakers Should Be Shot

U.S. President Donald Trump said officials who leak sensitive government information to the media "should be shot."

US President Donald Trump said government employees who share classified information with reporters should face the death penalty.

During a midterm rally in Bullhead, Arizona, Trump pointed to supporters on Wednesday when the Pentagon was apparently forced to delay an airstrike on Iran after the bombers' departure and arrival times were leaked to the press, including The New York Times and CNN.

It remains unclear which military operation Trump was referring to, although several media outlets speculated that he was referring to last year's bombing campaign that targeted Iran's underground nuclear facilities.

"Someone leaked — something rude," Trump said, adding that "they should go to jail and be shot."

He argued that "in the old days we shot whistleblowers... [especially] when they disclosed what time you were going to attack a country".

In the end, Trump said: Whistleblowers are the scum of the earth.

Since the start of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran in late February, the Republican leader has repeatedly leaked information to government officials, as well as the outlets that publish such material.

"Keep exposing you dirty dogs! You will pay dearly when we find you," Trump wrote in a Twitter post last month in response to media reports that some of his aides had advised him not to attack Tehran.

President Drew similarly accused the whistleblowers of making "treasonous statements," saying they would be "persecuted" and "looking for long prison terms!"

The controversy was sparked by a Washington Post report that claimed Trump was frustrated with Secretary of War Pete Hegsett for providing misleading information about potential munitions shortages, particularly for long-range missiles and air defense interceptors.

Trump denied the accusations, calling them "absolutely false" and asserting that "the United States has large quantities of 'munitions' and more will be produced and supplied if needed."

The New York Times subsequently reported that the Pentagon had tested dozens of civilian employees and military officers in an effort to identify the source of the leak about the ammunition shortage.

In April, Trump demanded that a journalist who reported on the details of the mission to rescue the two crew members of an American F-15E Strike Eagle that was shot down over Iran reveal their sources or face jail time. The President of the United States stated that the information leak had put the life of one of the servicemen at risk.