Pentagon Denies Report Accusing Pete Hegseth of Pressuring F-15 Crew for Exclusive '60 Minutes' Segment on Dramatic Iran Rescue

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pressured two U.S. F-15 soldiers to sit for what's become a controversial interview with 60 Minutes, a CNN report revealed.

The report, which Hegseth's office denied, outlines how Hegseth and political allies set the terms of his interview with CBS' famous news program segment and offers credence to critics who dubbed the segment "propaganda."

60 Minutes kicked off its first full season under controversial editor-in-chief Bari Weiss with a feel-good story about an April mission undertaken by the U.S. Army in Iran to rescue two downed F-15 crew members. General Dan Caine and Admiral Brad Cooper both sat for the interview, lead by correspondent Norah O'Donnell, as well as one unnamed F-15 crew member codenamed Bravo.

According to CNN's reporting, Bravo and the plane's pilot, codenamed Alpha, were pressured to sit for the interview by the embattled 46-year-old defense secretary. They reportedly voiced concerns that they were being ordered to sit, while military officials were wary of the pilots going on air to discuss military tactics.

Hegseth personally met with the soldiers to ask them if they wanted to participate. Bravo agreed, while Alpha declined.

A spokesperson for Hegseth denied CNN's reporting, which was bolstered by interviews with multiple sources.

“This entire story is a complete lie,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said. “The decision to participate in the interview was each pilot’s alone — because it is their story.”

"Additionally, 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," Parnell added.

There was a media rush to grab the pilots for interviews after the April incident, per CNN's reporting. Weiss, installed by Donald Trump ally David Ellison as CBS News' editor-in-chief despite having no broadcast television experience, was able to pitch her contacts in the administration to secure the interview.

Weiss personally pitched Hegseth and other members of Trump's government to get the pilots on CBS. The segment seemed to headline the show's rightward turn under Weiss, and some viewers felt the softball segment amounted to "MAGA propaganda."

The segment did not go into the various controversies surrounding Hegseth, including but not limited to: the depletion of U.S. munitions resulting from the Iran War; the fading morale of troops stationed overseas due to extended deployment and poor living conditions; or capricious firings of top military personnel.

CBS has faced severe criticism for the segment, but their problems may soon be worse than online chatter.

The season premiere netted only 7.7 million viewers, the show's worst premiere in 25 years. CBS has contended that the relatively small audience of the NFL game that aired prior to 60 Minutes was to blame, but it was a critical premiere for the series' first full season under Weiss after a year of an ugly and public overhaul.

Several veteran correspondents were ousted and angry at Weiss' leadership, with some accusing her of attempting to insert MAGA talking points into their reporting. Weiss also installed right-wing columnist Ross Douthat into the series' cast.

The "softball" interview with Hegseth did little to quell the impression that the once-respected news program has become a mouthpiece for the Trump administration.