LEAVITT: That’s not what the Secretary stated, Kaitlan, and that’s not what the Secretary meant, and you already know it! You know you might be being disingenuous! There is just not– we’ve by no means had a Secretary of Defense who cares extra–
COLLINS: He stated, “When a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it’s front page news. I get it. The press only wants to make the president look bad.”
LEAVITT: Yes, the press does–
COLLINS: As you already know, we cowl the deaths of U.S. service members underneath each president.
LEAVITT: The press does solely wish to make the president look unhealthy. That’s a reality. Listen to me, particularly you and particularly NCS. And the Secretary of Defense cares deeply about our warfighters and our women and men in uniform. He travels all throughout this nation to satisfy with them, to attach with them, and your community has rarely in all probability reported on that. You additionally had the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Chairman Kaine, who’s a courageous patriot standing alongside the Secretary on the Pentagon this morning, once more expressing his condolences to those households. And I simply instructed you that the President of the United States will probably be attending their dignified switch, so please, so please–
COLLINS: But we’re going to cowl that dignified switch. That’s not making the president look unhealthy. That’s showcasing that.
LEAVITT: We count on you to cowl that as you need to. We count on you to cowl that as you need to, Kaitlan, however you and your community know that you simply take each single factor this administration says and tries to make use of it to make the president look unhealthy. That is an objectable reality.
COLLINS: I don’t assume masking troop deaths is attempting to make the president look unhealthy.
LEAVITT: If you’re attempting to argue proper now that NCS’s overwhelming protection is just not unfavorable of President Donald Trump, I believe the American individuals would are likely to agree, and your scores would are likely to disagree with that, as effectively.