‘Not a failure!’ Republican gets heated over CNN debunking Trump’s Iran claim

CNN reporter Phil Mattingly sparred with Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) this afternoon over whether President Donald Trump's decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear facilities was successful.

Earlier in the day, CNN published a report suggesting that the campaign only set Iran's nuclear capabilities back by a few months. The report cited anonymous sources and a leaked Pentagon damage assessment report that appeared to undercut Trump's claims that the nuclear facilities were "OBLITERATED," as Trump claimed on Truth Social.

“Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term!" Trump wrote on his social media network.

Turner claimed that CNN published its report under a misleading headline that reads "Early US intel assessment suggests strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites." Turner also argued that Trump was correct in his assessment that Iran's nuclear capabilities were destroyed at the sites, even if the sites themselves were not totally destroyed.

Mattingly asked Turner if the administration had clarity about the impact of the bombing and their expectation of its impact once the campaign was completed.

"This was not a failure of these attacks," Turner sternly replied.

"I quite literally have never said it is a failure, and I don't think that the story reflects that it was a failure, too," Mattingly responded.

"The fact is that you can hit these three sites and be incredibly successful, which it was," Turner said, waving his index finger at Mattingly. "And, Iran will remain a threat, and we are going to have to continue with diplomacy and action with respect to Iran."

Mattingly then pointed out that the issue at hand was Trump's framing of the bombing, which suggested that the strike would be a one-time thing. Turner deflected and said Trump exhibited the "foresight and willingness to take this on."

"[Trump] understands that more work needs to be done, and that is not a failure of this action," Turner said.

You can watch the entire exchange here.