Tapper accuses Trump of 'lying' to Americans about recent spat with CNN

CNN host Jake Tapper accused President Donald Trump of "lying" to Americans in a recent Truth Social post about an alleged "false statement" CNN published on Tuesday.

CNN reported that Iranian officials had declared a "great victory" over the U.S. after agreeing to a ceasefire deal. Trump wrote on Truth Social that "authorities" are investigating CNN for publishing the statement, and that it may have been a criminal act.

"The alleged Statement put out by CNN World News is a FRAUD, as CNN well knows," Trump wrote. "The false Statement was linked to a Fake News site (from Nigeria) and, of course, immediately picked up by CNN, and blared out as a 'legitimate' headline."

Tapper offered a fiery rebuttal to the president's remarks during the opening of "The Lead" on Wednesday.

"The issue boils down tothis. The statement from Iran's Supreme National Security Council, which claimed victory for Iran, did not fit the messaging that the Trump administration wanted to project, and instead of calling out the Iranian regime for itsconflicting statements orexplaining how Iran does thisall the time, President Trumpattacked CNN by falsely claimingwe made it up by lying to you," Tapper said.

"We didn't make it up, nor didwe present any of Iran'snarratives as fact," he added. "We simplypresented what the statementsaid in the context of the restof the war, and that is our jobas journalists to report on whatis happening in a war. Our jobis not to try to please thepresident or only report thestatements he likes. We're goingto tell you what's going on,and we're going to keep doingthat, no matter how many liesthis administration or theIranians tell."