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CNN stood by its reporting in a statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday after retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt challenged the network during a Saturday interview over its anonymous sourcing on the Iran war, including claims involving negotiations and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.
“We stand by our reporting,” a CNN spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Joseph Holstead, public affairs adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, declined to comment on CNN’s report or Kimmitt’s assessment but agreed with Fox News Digital’s characterization that CNN’s sources lacked firsthand knowledge of the conversations described in the report.
“We are not going to comment on it nor the opinion of a commentator,” Holstead said to Fox News Digital in a statement.
Retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt criticized CNN’s reliance on unnamed sources in its reporting on the Iran war. (Getty Images)
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CNN did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about how it vetted the anonymous sources or Kimmitt’s claim that earlier anonymously sourced information about the negotiations was inaccurate.
Kimmitt raised the accuracy concern after CNN anchor Omar Jimenez asked about the network’s report that Caine was privately seeking an “off-ramp” because further military escalation could backfire.
“I read the CNN article and I saw quotes from unnamed sources that last week were saying there were no negotiations going on, and that proved not to be true,” Kimmitt said.
By the time Kimmitt appeared on the network, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance had publicly confirmed that negotiations were underway.
Trump said Thursday that he was personally involved in the discussions, while Vance told Fox News Digital on Saturday that American officials were speaking with Iran about restoring oil and gas traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
RNC national spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre defended Trump’s approach in a statement to Fox News Digital, portraying his Iran policy as effective and politically popular.
“President Trump’s ‘Peace through Strength’ foreign policy has been effective in preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon – something voters overwhelmingly support,” she said. “The American people trust President Trump and voters will continue to gravitate toward our candidates who are in line with his efforts to strengthen our national security and keep American communities safe.”
CNN told Fox News Digital that it stood by its reporting after Kimmitt challenged the network’s sourcing on air. (Getty Images)
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CNN’s Friday article did not report that negotiations were nonexistent. Citing three sources familiar with the matter, it reported that Caine had privately told senior Trump administration officials that airpower alone was unlikely to accomplish Trump’s objectives and that some options for escalating the conflict carried substantial risks.
One of the unnamed sources summarized Caine’s position in the CNN report.
“Caine is looking for an off-ramp,” the source said.
CNN reported that Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine privately sought an “off-ramp” from the conflict with Iran. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
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The article also included an on-the-record response from Caine spokesman Joseph Holstead, who rejected anonymous descriptions of the chairman’s private discussions while declining to disclose what Caine had told Trump and other senior officials.
“We do not discuss the Chairman’s confidential conversations with the President, the Secretary, or other senior leaders, nor do we comment on anonymous, agenda-driven characterizations of those conversations by sources who were not privy to them,” Holstead said.
Kimmitt’s criticism extended beyond CNN’s sourcing. The former general said the United States had not yet accomplished its central objectives involving Iran’s nuclear program, missile capabilities and support for regional proxies.
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“Look, I think it’s fair to say that we are not close to achieving our strategic objectives of ending the nuclear program, ending the missile program, and cutting off support for the proxies,” Kimmitt said. “We do have the situation with the Strait of Hormuz. Those issues are undeniable.”
Kimmitt also said Caine had to consider the threat from China, continued support for Ukraine and the military resources available to other combatant commanders while advising the president about Iran.
Jimenez responded that CNN reporters also preferred officials to attach their names to information.
“Hey, General, you said something that we preach all the time. I sure wish more folks would go on the record, too. But that’s me as a reporter,” Jimenez said.
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The sourcing dispute unfolded as the Trump administration continued negotiations intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Fox News Digital reported Friday that U.S. Central Command had halted attacks after 13 consecutive days of strikes against Iranian military targets while Washington and Tehran pursued an agreement.
Fox News Digital reached out to Kimmitt for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
