The White House on Monday issued a blistering rebuke of National Public Radio in a short post. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote, "This @NPR story is total FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about."
It's the latest media report over the past week targeting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with claims of mismanaging sensitive information while running the Defense Department into a shambles.
All this is happening as Hegseth and his top aides work to remove Pentagon employees who are not on the same page with the secretary's plans for the department.
The Monday report from NPR, called out by Leavitt, claimed a replacement for Hegseth was being sought. It used an unnamed source for the story.
Hegseth said on Monday, "What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled the Russia hoax."
Noting this approach is nothing new, he added, "This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations."
Leavitt told reporters at the White House Monday that President Donald Trump stands behind Hegseth.