WaPo Ed. Board Defends Report on US Military Being Overextended — Amid Blowback from the Pentagon and One of Their Own Columnists

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The Washington Post editorial board on Tuesday defended two of its reporters’ recent article detailing military leaders’ concerns about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over extending U.S. troops in the Middle East.

The Post’s Alex Horton and Tara Copp published a report over the weekend titled, “Military leaders warn Hegseth against extending Iran war operations.”

The report drew a swift and angry condemnation from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell as well as Post columnist Marc Thiessen. Thiessen went so far as to call for the sources for the report to be punished, writing on social media, “Whoever leaked this is a traitor and ought to be prosecuted.”

In the Tuesday editorial titled, “The true cost of the Iran war,” the Post’s editorial board pulled no punches in slamming criticism of its reporting and warning that the Trump administration was eroding freedom of the press.

“Parnell also said, without evidence, that much of The Post’s scoop was inaccurate. The Post’s newsroom, which operates independently of the opinion section, responded by expressing confidence in its reporting,” explained the editorial board, adding:

The generals clearly have good reasons to worry about resources being stretched thin. Troops have been overextended, and it’s taking a toll on morale. Stockpiles of critical weapons are running low. Roughly a quarter of the Pentagon’s Reaper drones have been used. And the Navy’s only aircraft carrier in the Pacific was diverted to the Middle East earlier this month. Allies are rattled.

In a free society, there is an overwhelming public interest in knowing these facts. The Constitution guarantees the rights of news organizations to publish such information.

Six months ago, Trump took the country into a preemptive war without making a robust case for why it was in the national interest. He never articulated a clear strategy or endgame. Trump also refused to seek congressional authorization.

The board noted the critics of the reporting argue that “The Post’s reporting will undermine deterrence, but Trump’s hubris already did that.”

“Now there’s a quagmire, and Trump wants to put the Iran issue back on the shelf, at least until after the midterms. To hold elected leaders accountable, voters need to know the truth,” concluded the editorial.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!