WASHINGTON (AP) —President Trump on Monday threatened to jail the journalist who first reported that U.S. forces were searching for an F-15 weapons officer shot down in Iran, if they don’t reveal their sources.
“The person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn’t say, and that doesn’t last long,” Trump said.
Trump didn’t name the journalist or news organization. He said the leak tipped off the Iranians, endangering the officer and his rescuers. He called the leaker “a sick person.”
Meanwhile, the President earlier defended his use of vulgar language in a social media post on Sunday.
The president used not-suitable-for-work language in a Sunday social media posting warning Iran he was serious about targeting the country’s infrastructure if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday deadline. He ended the short post by saying, “Praise be to Allah.”
Asked by a reporter about his salty language, Trump responded he used it “only to make my point.”
Trump added about his use of an expletive, “I think you’ve heard it before.”