Hegseth accused of pressuring two rescued airmen to do interview with Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly pressured the two crew members of the F-15 shot down over Iran to appear on Bari Weiss's 60 Minutes, ignoring opposition to the interviews by military officials.

Hegseth and others in his department reportedly pressured the two airmen who were shot down and rescued in April to appear on the show, according to CNN, citing multiple anonymous sources familiar with the situation.

The airmen were reportedly hesitant to participate. The sources said that Hegseth visited with them in private and asked them if they were interested in telling their stories.

One of the airmen, "Bravo," agreed to do the interview while a second airman, "Alpha," declined, according to the report.

Neither of the crew members has been identified by the Pentagon.

The sources also noted to CNN that other military officials were concerned that putting the airmen on 60 Minutes would result in the unintentional leaking of classified information, but that concern was reportedly ignored by Hegseth.

CBS News was only one of several major media organizations seeking a means of contacting the pilot and securing their interviews. Weiss reportedly told her reporters that securing the interview was a top priority, and lobbied not only her contacts in the Trump administration, but Hegseth himself, according to the anonymous sources.

The sources claim that Hegseth and his staff were excited to use CBS News to deliver a dramatic retelling of the rescue.

The Pentagon denied the reporting in CNN.

"This entire story is a complete lie," chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the outlet, adding that the "decision to participate in the interview was each pilot's alone — because it is their story."

Parnell also stressed that the "Department took great care to ensure operational security, sources, and methods were protected."

"To suggest otherwise is to denigrate every member of our military who participated in and supported the interview," he said.

During the interview, the crew member called Bravo revealed that after they were shot down, they and the pilot spent a day evading capture by Iranian forces.

The airmen were ultimately saved by an American special forces team with air support.

According to the sources, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was among those concerned that the interview could reveal classified information, even inadvertently.

When asked for comment, Cain's office told CNN that he would not “comment on agenda-driven sources, anonymous sources’ characterizations, other than to reiterate the story here remains that the Joint Force will do everything possible to ensure no one gets left behind.”

The Independent has requested comment from CBS News and the Pentagon.