Trump hunts ‘sick’ mole in US, warns journalist to reveal source or go to jail

US President Donald Trump on Monday made a startling claim, expressing the possibility of a mole within the American government while addressing a press conference on the recent rescue of an American airman from Iran.

He said that his administration is working “very hard to find that leaker,” claiming that the unidentified individual endangered both the sensitive American rescue operation and the distressed weapons system officer who was rescued from Iran’s territory days after his US F-15E was shot down over the country.

Trump also threatened legal consequences for the journalist who first reported that US forces were searching for the American air force officer, if they don’t reveal their sources.

“The person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn’t say, and that doesn’t last long,” he said.

While the US president did not name the journalist or news organisation, he said the publication of highly classified information alerted Iranian forces to the presence of a second US service member after the pilot of the downed F-15E had already been rescued. Trump did not single out any specific outlet, though several, including The New York Times, Fox News and Axios, were among the first to report on the incident.

Trump described the scale of the operation undertaken by the US to rescue the weapons officer from behind enemy lines – which included 155 aircraft. More specifically, it included four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refuelling tankers, and 13 rescue aircraft, among others, he said.

Much of it was an effort to mislead Iranian forces, who were also looking for the missing crew member, the US President said.

“We were bringing them all over and a lot of it was subterfuge,” Trump said. “We wanted to have them think he was in a different location,” he was quoted as saying by AP. He said the wounded officer rushed to get away from the crash site.

When a plane crashes in enemy territory, “they all head right to that site, you want to be as far away as you can,” Trump stated.

The leader further said that the airman was “bleeding profusely” but was able to climb mountainous terrain and contact American forces to communicate his location.