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Karoline Leavitt has fiercely criticized an ABC News report that suggested a possible Iranian drone attack in California, labeling it as both “reckless” and “entirely false.”
In her capacity as a White House spokeswoman, Leavitt dismissed the claims that the FBI had discreetly cautioned state law enforcement about potential Iranian retaliation for U.S. airstrikes. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday, she demanded the network retract what she termed a “phony story.”
“There has never been a credible threat against the American homeland from Iran,” Leavitt asserted, accusing the network of inciting unnecessary “alarm” with unverified information.
Her post quickly gained traction on the platform, with supporters applauding her for confronting what they called “fake news,” while critics accused the administration of minimizing potential dangers.
The controversy stems from an FBI alert issued in early February, which warned that Iran might be planning a “surprise attack using unmanned aerial objects” from a vessel off the coast if the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran.
The alert was sent to police departments across the region, but it does not make clear where specifically could be targeted. The FBI declined to comment when approached by The Post.
Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed the FBI alert during a press conference Wednesday, admitting there was a “critical” threat.
He said, “Drone issues have been top of mind. We’ve been aware of that information, we’ve been working collaboratively with the [State Operations Center].”
California has the highest concentration of Iranian dissidents in the US — up to 500,000 — but it is not clear if that was why the state could be targeted.