'They Should Be Shot': Trump publicly calls for extreme punishments for those who leak military secrets

President Donald Trump called Wednesday, during a campaign rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, for severe punishment for those who leak classified military information, suggesting that they should be executed. "Somebody leaked, some sleazebag. They ought to go to jail and be shot. For the rest of their life, they should be in jail," Trump told the crowd as he spoke about the leaks related to the U.S. military operation against Iran's nuclear facilities.

The president stated that details about when the operation would take place were leaked to the media before the attacks occurred, forcing the mission to be postponed for two days. Trump appeared to be referring to Operation Midnight Hammer, in which U.S. forces attacked nuclear facilities belonging to the Iranian regime.

In questioning the reliability of some of the sources used by journalists — whose coverage of the current Republican administration he also criticized — Trump remarked: "They leak false information. That makes them a leaker. Often times, without a source. I think they make up a lot of their sources." Likewise, amid applause, the president criticized journalists by claiming that they were "almost as bad as leakers."

Similarly, Trump remarked, "In my opinion, leakers should be shot. In the old days, we used to shoot leakers." The Republican president also warned that disclosing when the United States plans to attack another country could jeopardize an operation designed for defensive purposes. "When they leak what time you’re going to attack a country, and the reason you’re attacking is really for defense because you don’t want them to have a weapon that can blow up millions of people in one shot."

Trump's comments come after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced last August that the Department of War and the Department of Justice had created a joint task force to identify and prosecute individuals who share classified information with the media. "Leaking information puts lives at risk," Hegseth said at the time. "These new tools and procedures will greatly help us protect our armed forces."