Karoline Leavitt Levels CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Other Legacy Media Reporters [WATCH]

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt directly challenged CNN’s Kaitlan Collins during Tuesday’s White House press briefing after the reporter questioned the motives behind the release of newly declassified documents related to the Russia collusion investigation.

The exchange took place following a presentation by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who appeared at the podium to detail findings from recently declassified intelligence assessments.

According to Gabbard, the documents confirm that former President Barack Obama and senior members of his national security team were directly involved in shaping intelligence products that fueled the multi-year investigation into alleged ties between President Donald Trump and Russia.

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During the briefing, Collins asked Gabbard whether the release of the documents was politically motivated.

“What would you say to people who believe that you are only releasing these documents now to improve your standing with the president after he said that your intelligence assessment of [Iran’s nuclear capabilities, before the successful airstrike] were wrong?” Collins asked.

Gabbard did not respond directly, and Leavitt stepped in shortly after to address the question.

Leavitt rejected the implication that the timing of the release was political and accused CNN and other media outlets of undermining the work of the administration’s senior officials.

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“What was in the newly declassified information was something we didn’t have before,” Leavitt said.

“That is the fact that the intelligence community was concocting this narrative that the president colluded with the Russians. That the president’s son was holding secret meetings with the Russians. All of these lies that were never true.”

Leavitt then questioned the premise of Collins’ line of inquiry.

“Who is saying that? That she [Gabbard] would release this to try to boost her standings with the president. Who has said that?” she asked.

Collins replied, “Well, the president has publicly undermined her when it came to Iran. He said she was wrong. He told me that she didn’t know what she was talking about.”

Leavitt responded, “The only people who are suggesting that the Director of National Intelligence would release evidence to try to boost her standing with the president are the people in this room. Who consistently try to sow distrust and chaos among the President’s cabinet.”

She continued, “And it is not working. I will just answer your question directly. I am with the president of the United States every day. He has the utmost confidence in Director Gabbard. He always has. He continues to. And that is true of his entire cabinet who is all working as one team to deliver on the promises this president made.”

I am so here for this throwdown between @DNIGabbard and @PressSec @KarolineLeavitt vs. CNN’s @KaitlanCollins pic.twitter.com/fH2YILPwQ0

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 23, 2025

In a separate portion of the briefing, Leavitt addressed the broader media response to the Russia investigation.

She criticized major news outlets for their initial coverage of the collusion narrative and the accolades received as a result.

“This is truly one of the greatest political scandals in American history,” Leavitt said.

“And reporters at legacy outlets, some of which are sitting in this room today, like The New York Times and The Washington Post, were ridiculously awarded Pulitzer Prizes for their perpetuation of this hoax.”

She concluded, “It’s well past time for those awards to be stripped from the journalists who received them.

🔥Karoline Leavitt TEARS INTO THE MEDIA for perpetuating the Russian collusion hoax:

“Reporters at legacy outlets…were ridiculously awarded Pulitzer prizes for their perpetuation of this hoax. It’s well past time for those awards to be stripped from the journalists that… pic.twitter.com/vVIX5tHxDG

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 23, 2025

It is not journalism to propagate political disinformation in service of the Democrat Party and those in the intelligence community who hand over out-of-context and fake intelligence to push a false political narrative.”

The declassified documents referenced by Gabbard have been referred to the Department of Justice and the FBI for further review.

The DOJ has announced the formation of a Strike Force to evaluate the evidence and determine potential next steps.