Washington Post columnist called the Post’s own source a ‘traitor’ over a Pentagon report, then clashed publicly with his colleague over the demand

Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen wrote on X that whoever leaked classified information used in his own newspaper’s reporting is a “traitor” and ought to be prosecuted. He shared the Post article on Sunday and added that comment in the same post.

The Washington Post reported that senior commanders had warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonged large-scale operations against Iran were becoming unsustainable. The newspaper said the warnings were contained in the classified August 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book.

That book assesses the availability of U.S. forces and equipment worldwide, the Post reported. Its reporters cited people familiar with the assessment who spoke anonymously because the document was classified. Thiessen wrote, “Whoever leaked this is a traitor and ought to be prosecuted.”

Thiessen said his criticism targeted the leak rather than the journalists

Thiessen’s post led to a public exchange with Washington Post foreign policy columnist Josh Rogin, who also serves as the newspaper’s lead global security analyst. Rogin replied by pointing to the newspaper’s defense of its reporting after criticism from the chief Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell.

Parnell had attacked the publication of the classified information, according to the account of that exchange. The Post responded that its reporting was in the “public interest” and said, “the assertion that such publication is a crime is both incorrect and irresponsible.” Hegseth has also faced separate political claims, including Hegseth’s denial of a 2028 run.

Thiessen then said his criticism was directed at the government official who leaked the material, not at the journalists who published it. He wrote, “I said whoever LEAKED it, Josh. You do get that a government official leaking classified information to the press is committing a crime, right?”

New York Times media reporter Ben Mullin highlighted the exchange between the two Washington Post columnists. Mullin wrote: “This is unusual: a Washington Post columnist is calling for the prosecution of the newspaper’s sources.”

Thiessen also responded to Mullin’s post, arguing that his approach had been ” pretty consistent” over the “last 16 years.”

Thiessen pointed to earlier calls he had made for the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. He presented those earlier positions as matching the view he expressed about the leak behind the Post’s reporting on the classified assessment. A separate account said the defense secretary called a 2028 campaign claim false.