President
Donald
Trump
doesn’t
like
anyone
asking
too
many
questions
about
the
Iran
strikes
he
unilaterally
authorized.
In
fact,
when
news
outlets
report
that
the
bombings
were
not
as
destructive
as
Trump
initially
boasted,
he
(and
other
members
of
his
administration)
lashed
out
at
members
of
the
media.
On
Truth
Social,
he
called
out
journalists
from
CNN
and
the
New
York
Times
as
“fake
news
reporters”
who
are
“bad
people
with
evil
intentions.”
But
that
wasn’t
the
end
of
Trump’s
tantrum.
His
personal
attorney
Alejandro
Brito
sent
letters
to
the
NYT
and
CNN,
full
of
legal
bluster.
The
missives
demand
they
“retract
and
apologize”
the
reporting
for
“false,”
“defamatory,”
and
“unpatriotic”
reporting,
First
Amendment
be
damned!
The
Fourth
Estate
is
more
functional
than
Biglaw,
so
in
the
face
of
these
threats,
the
outlets
responded
with
stinging
rebukes.
David
McCraw, the
lawyer
for
the
Times
replied,
“No
retraction
is
needed.”
He
continued,
“No
apology
will
be
forthcoming.
We
told
the
truth
to
the
best
of
our
ability.
We
will
continue
to
do
so.”
And
CNN’s
statement
was
a
bit
less
forceful,
but
still
defended
their
reporting.
“CNN’s
reporting
made
clear
that
this
was
an
initial
finding
that
could
change
with
additional
intelligence.
We
have
extensively
covered
President
Trump’s
own
deep
skepticism
about
it,”
said
CNN’s
statement.
“However,
we
do
not
believe
it
is
reasonable
to
criticize
CNN
reporters
for
accurately
reporting
the
existence
of
the
assessment
and
accurately
characterizing
its
findings,
which
are
in
the
public
interest.”
At
least
someone
is
still
defending
the
Constitution.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].