'Very notable' Pete Hegseth behavior flagged by CNN host: 'Most defensive we've seen'

CNN's John Berman reacted to Friday morning's press briefing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine on the war in Iran.

The defense secretary complained about media coverage of the war and offered suggestions for framing stories that he based on his previous career as a Fox News host, and he specifically targeted CNN for reporting that the Trump administration had underestimated Iran's capacity to shut down shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

"More fake news from CNN," Hegseth griped. "The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better."

Paramount CEO David Ellison, an ally of President Donald Trump, is set to acquire CNN's parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, and Berman took a swipe at the defense secretary after the briefing ended.

"Very notable press briefing from the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, and the chair of the joint chiefs, Dan Caine," Berman said. "I would say the most defensive we have seen Pete Hegseth in any of these briefings. He led off not with mentioning the four airmen lost over Iraq and the refueling tanker, although he did get to that ultimately. Dan Caine led with that, but the secretary led with an attack on the press."

"I think most notably in terms of where things stand in the conflict, the secretary was talking a great deal about the Strait of Hormuz and the fact that there is really almost no shipping passing through, and the reports that the United States, I think, may be behind in dealing with this," Berman added. "The secretary said that Iran is operating with desperation in the strait. He said the United States is dealing with it, the United States has been dealing with it, and most notably, the secretary says we don't need to worry about it."

Co-host Kate Bolduan said the situation in the strait was described with a bit more nuance by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"The joint chiefs chairman was asked about it, as well, and Gen. Dan Caine very clearly described Hormuz as a tactically complex environment," Bolduan said, "and he says before, I think, we want to take anything through there at scale, we want to make sure we do the work pursuant to our current military objectives, to do that safely and smartly. Just on the heels of President Trump saying in a new interview with Fox News, telling tankers that they should 'show some guts' and just start moving through because he says the strait is safe."

Berman added that Hegseth also responded to statements made by Energy Secretary Chris Wright in an interview with Bolduan the previous day.

"I think also responding very notably to the secretary of energy's interview with you yesterday, Kate, where the secretary said we are not yet ready to escort the tankers through," Berman said. "Neither the secretary nor the chair did anything to dispute that. The chair, quite the opposite, noting that Iran still very much has capability in the strait there."