Addressing the press from Florida’s new Alligator Alcatraz detention facility in the Everglades, President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said they are looking into prosecuting CNN for its reporting on ICEBlock, an app that alerts people to sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, as well as for its reporting on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Noem said, "we’re working with the Department of Justice to see if we can prosecute them for that," when asked about the possibility of a prosecution, "because what they’re doing is actively encouraging people to avoid law enforcement activities, operations, and we’re going to actually go after them and prosecute with the partnership of Pam [Bondi] if we can, because what they are doing we believe is illegal."
Trump added, "And they may very well be prosecuted also for having given false reports on the attack in Iran."
"They were given totally false reports. It was totally obliterated. And our people have to be celebrated, not come home and say, ‘What do you mean we didn’t hit the target?’ We hit the target quickly. You know, the pilots came home, they said we hit the target quickly. So they may very well be prosecuted for that. What they did there, we think, is totally illegal."
CNN came under fire after releasing a report on ICEBlock, which creator Joshua Aaron said is "is designed for a very different purpose: to let users alert people nearby to sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their area."
He told the outlet, "When I saw what was happening in this country, I wanted to do something to fight back," adding that deportations undertaken by the Trump administration reminded him of Nazi Germany. "We’re literally watching history repeat itself."
Aaron, however, told CNN, "Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only. It is not to be used for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement."
ICE acting Director Todd Lyons criticized CNN for the story, saying the outlet’s "promotion of an ‘ICE spotting’ app is reckless and irresponsible."
“Advertising an app that basically paints a target on federal law enforcement officers’ backs is sickening. My officers and agents are already facing a 500% increase in assaults, and going on live television to announce an app that lets anyone zero in on their locations is like inviting violence against them with a national megaphone.
"CNN is willfully endangering the lives of officers who put their lives on the line every day and enabling dangerous criminal aliens to evade U.S. law. Is this simply reckless 'journalism' or overt activism?" Lyons added.
