President Donald Trump vowed on Monday, April 6, 2026, to identify the "sick" government leaker who revealed that a second U.S. airman remained missing after an F-15E crash in Iran, arguing that the disclosure alerted Iranian forces and endangered the rescue operation.

Trump threatened to jail journalists who refuse to reveal their sources, stating his administration will confront media companies with the ultimatum: "give it up or go to jail" under national security grounds. The leak reportedly occurred shortly after the first pilot was rescued, leading the Iranian regime to place a bounty on the missing Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) and deploy millions of personnel to find him.

The Incident: A leak revealed that while one airman was rescued, a second remained unaccounted for, prompting a massive 155-aircraft rescue mission that lasted nearly 48 hours in mountainous terrain. The Threat: The President explicitly named the act of leaking as "sick" and claimed the information allowed Iran to know a pilot was "fighting for his life" before the rescue. Media Targets: Outlets such as CBS News, The New York Times, and CNN reported on the dual rescue efforts, though Trump did not specify which media company he believes holds the source. Legal Context: While shield laws protect journalists in many jurisdictions, there are no federal protections for publishing classified information, allowing the Justice Department to pursue leakers and reporters. AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts.