{"id":2579394,"date":"2026-03-13T08:33:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T12:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/karoline-leavitt-unleashes-on-reckless-and-completely-false-abc-news-report\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T08:35:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T12:35:26","slug":"karoline-leavitt-unleashes-on-reckless-and-completely-false-abc-news-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/karoline-leavitt-unleashes-on-reckless-and-completely-false-abc-news-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Karoline Leavitt Unleashes on &#8216;Reckless&#8217; and &#8216;Completely False&#8217; ABC News Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkaroline-leavitt-unleashes-on-reckless-and-completely-false-abc-news-report%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2579394&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Western Journal piece centers on ABC News reporting an FBI alert that Iran planned to attack California with drones during \u201cOperation Epic Fury,\u201d a warning the article says relied on a single, unverified tip. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly urged ABC News to retract the story, calling it false and reckless. FBI communications analyst Ben Williamson posted side-by-side images showing that the ABC report omitted the word \u201cunverified,\u201d prompting White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly to criticize the media\u2019s handling of such claims during a conflict. ABC News later updated the piece with an editor\u2019s note acknowledging that the alert was unverified. The story is further amplified by tweets and references to other outlets, including The New York Post. The page also includes interactive ad\/video widgets and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/clinton-judge-releases-boy-5-and-his-father-from-ice-detention-makes-mistake-so-bad-on-order-this-may-be-the-first-time-its-ever-recorded\/\" title=\"Clinton Judge Releases Boy, 5, and His Father from ICE Detention, Makes Mistake So Bad on Order This May Be the First Time It&#039;s Ever Recorded\">correction-submission form<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Californians were given a nasty surprise this week when a particularly alarming report surfaced via ABC News.<\/p>\n<p>The outlet put out an &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/fbi-warns-iran-aspired-attack-california-drones-retaliation\/story?id=130973820\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">alert<\/a>&rdquo; that the Golden State was officially in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/breaking-fbi-quietly-warns-california-police-iranian-plans-retaliatory-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">crosshairs<\/a> of Iranian drones and that Tehran had an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >itchy trigger finger amid &#038;ldquo<\/a>;Operation Epic Fury.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>There was just one major issue with that &ldquo;alert&rdquo; &mdash; and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt couldn&rsquo;t let it go unaddressed.<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt took to X to excoriate the report and ask ABC News a rather important question:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This post and story should be immediately retracted by ABC News for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-south-korean-police-indict-countrys-first-omicron-patient-for-lying-in-virus-survey\/\" title=\"...: South Korean Police Indict Country&#039;s First Omicron Patient for &#039;Lying&#039; in Virus Survey\">providing false information<\/a> to intentionally alarm the American people.<\/p>\n<p>They wrote this based on one  that was sent to local law enforcement in California about a single, unverified tip. The  even&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jKey9ahsNk\">https:\/\/t.co\/jKey9ahsNk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PressSec\/status\/2032118372901527884?\">March 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This post and story should be immediately retracted by ABC News for providing false information to intentionally alarm the American people,&rdquo; Leavitt posted. &ldquo;They wrote this based on one  that was sent to local law enforcement in California about a single, unverified tip.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The  even states the tip was based on *unverified* intelligence,&rdquo; she continued.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Yet ABC News left out this critical fact in their story! WHY?&rdquo; Leavitt asked.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;TO BE CLEAR: No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/12\/us-news\/karoline-leavitt-slams-abc-report-of-iran-drone-attack-in-ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Post<\/a> reported that Leavitt further denigrated this report as &ldquo;reckless&rdquo; and &ldquo;completely false.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt followed up on that fury by sharing the findings of Ben Williamson, assistant director for public affairs at the FBI.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">On the left is the way ABC (or their source) reported the FBI alert.<\/p>\n<p>On the right is the actual FBI alert that went to JTFF partners.<\/p>\n<p>You will notice the word left out &mdash;&ldquo;Unverified.&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zSBHObisAI\">https:\/\/t.co\/zSBHObisAI<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XEZPeNKmDA\">pic.twitter.com\/XEZPeNKmDA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ben Williamson (@_WilliamsonBen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_WilliamsonBen\/status\/2032112311972814881?\">March 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In the side-by-side screenshots provided by Williamson, you can clearly see that ABC News &mdash; whether intentional or not &mdash; omitted the very important term &ldquo;unverified&rdquo; from its report.<\/p>\n<p>White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly meanwhile called this incident out as being emblematic of a much larger problem throughout the establishment media.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Outlets like <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ABC?\">@ABC<\/a> have been playing fast and loose despite many Americans relying on them for solid, factual reporting during this conflict.<\/p>\n<p>Reporters&rsquo; desire to be first with a &ldquo;scoop&rdquo; (and this wasn&rsquo;t one) cannot supersede their duty to responsibly inform the public. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/20NK2h2kRj\">https:\/\/t.co\/20NK2h2kRj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Anna Kelly (@AnnaKelly47) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AnnaKelly47\/status\/2032136449680658662?\">March 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Outlets like [ABC News] have been playing fast and loose despite many Americans relying on them for solid, factual reporting during this conflict,&rdquo; Kelly posted. &ldquo;Reporters&rsquo; desire to be first with a &lsquo;scoop&rsquo; (and this wasn&rsquo;t one) cannot supersede their duty to responsibly inform the public.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As for Leavitt&rsquo;s demand that ABC News retract the story, the outlet chose to instead simply add an editor&rsquo;s note blaming the FBI for the snafu, and update the relevant quote to include the word &ldquo;unverified.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>(Of note, those are the only two references to &ldquo;unverified&rdquo; in the entire report.)<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Editor&rsquo;s note: The FBI has posted a fuller version of its alert to California authorities, which includes that the information was unverified. The latest version of this story has been updated with the full statement,&rdquo; ABC News&rsquo; article now reads at the top.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Californians were jolted this week by an ABC News report claiming Iran\u2019s drones had California in their sights under something called \u201cOperation Epic Fury.\u201d White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt urged ABC News to retract the piece, arguing it spread false information meant to alarm the public and was based on a single, unverified tip to local law enforcement. Leavitt and others, including the New York Post, labeled the report reckless and false, noting that the FBI\u2019s own materials described the information as unverified. Side-by-side screenshots shared by FBI spokesman Ben Williamson suggested ABC News omitted the word unverified from its coverage. White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly condemned the broader media trend of publishing questionable scoops during the conflict, saying reporters should prioritize accuracy over being first. In response, ABC News added an editor\u2019s note explaining that the FBI alert to California authorities indicated the information was unverified and that the story had been updated accordingly. The piece also contains various page elements, including a video widget and a corrections form<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2579395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-12T210330.879.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[73580,50410,54939,4188,5894],"class_list":["post-2579394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-abcnews","tag-controversy-2","tag-karolineleavitt","tag-media","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-12T210330.879.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2579394"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2579398,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579394\/revisions\/2579398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2579395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2579394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2579394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2579394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}