CNN, New York Times Reject Trump's Demands to Retract 'False' and 'Unpatriotic' Stories About Iran Bombing Raids

(Variety) President Trump threatened to sue CNN and the New York Times over their reports about his government’s early assessment that U.S. bombing raids on Iran had set the regime’s nuclear program back by a few months — contrary to Trump’s claim that Iran’s capabilities were “totally obliterated.”

Trump’s personal lawyer on June 25 sent letters to the news outlets demanding they issue retractions and apologies. Both CNN and the Times said they responded to the letters by rejecting the claims. According to the Times, Trump’s attorney claimed the stories were defamatory, “false” and “unpatriotic.” Trump has railed against CNN, the Times and other news organizations that have reported on intelligence, alleging the outlets “want to try and demean me.”

David McCraw, SVP and deputy general counsel for the New York Times Co., wrote in a reply to Trump’s lawyer dated June 26, “No retraction is needed. No apology will be forthcoming. We told the truth to the best of our ability. We will continue to do so.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cnn-york-times-reject-trump-151205822.html